The UKHO has begun a process of streamlining its fields of expertise and buying companies with the specialist skills it needs to fulfil its aims. It wholly owns Admiralty group companies SevenCs and SeaZone Solutions. It also operates the headquarters office of the International Centre for ENCs, IC-ENC, on behalf of a number of national Hydrographic Organisations. The UKHO has also taken over ownership of the HM Nautical Almanac Office.

SevenCs: Acquired in November 2005, SevenCs is an internationally respected developer and supplier of ECDIS software based in Hamburg, Germany. The company’s reputation is based on extensive advisory work for international organizations like the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA). SevenCs is working with UKHO to develop a new product range for mariners.

SeaZone Solutions Ltd: Formed in June 2003, SeaZone Solutions delivers UKHO and other agencies' data to engineers, scientists, planners and developers who require authoritative marine and coastal data for use in asset management, offshore resource management, environmental modelling applications and decision-making. It also provides enabling tools, consultancy and training services to support the use of coastal and offshore environmental data in Geographical Information Systems (GIS), Computer Aided Design (CAD) and other systems. Since its formation, SeaZone Solutions’ client base has rapidly grown. It has attracted more than 130 customers in the past year.
Last year, it launched SeaZone Hydrospatial, a product offering highly accurate marine data which is interoperable with terrestrial mapping and provides a continuous dataset with a seamless transition from land to sea. The dataset provides users with essential mapping information for commercial and governmental development activities in the coastal zone.

International Centre for ENC (IC-ENC): A centre which quality assures Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) from around the world, then distributes them internationally.

HM Nautical Almanac Office: The UKHO took over responsibility for the Almanac Office from the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC) in April 2006. The Office, based in Didcot, Oxfordshire, produces astronomical publications and data to support the MoD, particularly the Royal Navy and RAF.