International Hydrographic Organization IHO

Intelligent, competent, and kind.

The IHO has announced the recipient of the 2026 Ex Abyssis ad Alta award for Hydrographic Excellence on this World Hydrography Day.

Ms. Jennifer Jencks has been selected in recognition of her commitment to the global ocean community.🏆 🌊

With a career spanning over 20 years, Ms. Jencks has been a driving force in several global initiatives for ocean mapping and crowdsourcing depth data. 🌐⚓

Her achievements include successfully leading the IHO Data Center for Digital Bathymetry (DCDB), chairing the Crowdsourced Bathymetry Working Group and taking charge of NOAA’s capacity development programme for hydrography in the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

🔗To know more about her exciting career, please visit: https://iho.int/en/winner-of-the-2026-ex-abyssis-ad-alta-iho-award-announced

Congratulations Jennifer! 🎉👏



National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Professional exchange opportunity to learn, connect, and share experiences 🗺 🌍

As part of the IHO Empowering Women in Hydrography project, the Agency for Maritime and Coastal Services (MDK) of Belgium is inviting one female candidate from an IHO Member State to take part in a five-day professional exchange visit with the Belgian Hydrographic Office.

The selected candidate will have the opportunity to:
🏢Discover the daily operations and methodologies of the Belgian Hydrographic Office.
🚤Participate in activities at sea.
💡Exchange ideas on innovation, challenges, and best practices in the field.
➕Much more!

Interested in applying? Find the requirements and application details here: https://iho.int/en/circular-letters-2026

To learn more about the EWH project and what countries are doing around the world: https://iho.int/en/initiatives-around-the-world

Developing skills around the world to help address ocean priorities 🌊⚓️

The IHO Capacity Development Programme helps develop expertise globally, supporting safety of life at sea, the protection of the marine environment, and the development of the Blue Economy.

Through technical advisory visits, trainings, courses, workshops, seminars and initiatives such as the Empowering Women in Hydrography project and the IHO e-Learning Centre, the IHO supports the development of hydrographic, cartographic and maritime safety capabilities in Member States. 🗺️ 💻

Hosted by the Directorate of Hydrography and Navigation of Peru, the IHO Capacity Development Sub-Committee met last week to discuss several strategic questions, including the transition to S-100.

The committee concluded that the IHO Capacity Development Programme is running smoothly and noted the significant work undertaken in 2025, which was an exceptional year with all planned activities being funded. 🚀

The IHO would like to thank the Republic of Korea, Japan (through The NipponFoundation), PRIMAR, IC-ENC and others for their contributions to the Capacity Development programme.

The IHO was represented by Director Luigi Sinapi and Assistant Director Leonel Manteigas.



국립해양조사원 / Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency | Marina de Guerra del Perú

📢[Job alert] Cybersecurity and data systems professionals.

The International Hydrographic Organization is hiring a Security Scheme Operation Officer at the Infrastructure Center in Busan, Korea.

The charts that guide ships through the world's most congested and consequential waterways are increasingly digital. So are the systems that authenticate them, protect them from tampering, and ensure that the navigator on the bridge is looking at data that is exactly what it claims to be, issued by a legitimate authority, unmodified during data delivery, and current.

That is what the IHO Security Scheme does. It is the trust infrastructure underpinning the S-100 ecosystem: the public key infrastructure, the digital certificates, the cryptographic architecture that makes encrypted nautical data distribution possible. As S-100 implementation accelerates across member states and the maritime industry, the Security Scheme becomes more critical, and more complex, with every passing year.

The IHO Infrastructure Centre in Busan, in the Republic of Korea, will operate and develop this scheme going forward.

We are recruiting a Security Scheme Operation Officer to run it — managing PKI systems, digital certificate lifecycles, participant vetting, incident response, and the longer horizon questions like quantum-readiness that most maritime organizations are not yet asking.

This is a specialized role at the intersection of cybersecurity, maritime data standards, and international governance. There are not many people in the world who sit at that intersection.

If you are one of them, or know someone who is, the nomination deadline has been extended to 31 July 2026.⏰

For more details on the job description and how to apply, please visit:https://iho.int/uploads/user/circular_letters/eng_2026/CL31_2026_EN_v1.pdf

⚓️ Relive some of the key moments from the latest IHO Assembly 🛳️

This includes keynote speeches from HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco and Assembly Chair, M. Michel Amafo of Suriname, the ships Member States sent to Monaco for the occasion, as well as the Member State and Industry Exhibitions.

Through productive discussions and key decisions, the Assembly reinforced the IHO’s strategic direction, demonstrated the collective commitment to international cooperation, and helped advance initiatives that support safe navigation, sustainable ocean management, and the digital transformation of hydrographic services.

Thank you to all delegates, observers, and partners who contributed to the success of this important event.

🎥 Watch the highlights and revisit the moments that shaped the Assembly.

https://youtu.be/iH6fcKEiU-8

General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans Gouvernement Monaco International Hydrographic Organization IHO
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO

Highlights of the 4th Assembly of the International Hydrographic Organization (2026) Relive some of the key moments from the latest IHO Assembly held in...

📢 GEBCO is Hiring – Policy Officer

The GEBCO Secretariat is seeking a Policy Officer to join its team in Monaco.

This full-time position offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to GEBCO’s strategic objectives by providing critical support to policy development, funding coordination, and advocacy activities.

By helping to strengthen stakeholder relationships, secure resources, and support effective programme delivery, the successful candidate will play an important role in advancing GEBCO’s mission to deliver a complete map of the world's oceans and improve our understanding of the seafloor for the benefit of science, society, and sustainable ocean management.

Key responsibilities include:
🔹 Supporting strategic policy initiatives
🔹 Coordinating funding and stakeholder engagement activities
🔹 Developing key policy and process documentation
🔹 Managing stakeholder relationships
🔹 Coordinating projects and programmes
🔹 Providing administrative and general programme management support

This role is ideal for a motivated professional with strong organisational, communication, and stakeholder management skills who is interested in supporting the future of global ocean mapping and seabed knowledge.

📍 Location: Monaco
🕒 Position: Full-time
📅 Deadline for applications: 31 July 2026

✅ For further information, including application requirements, please refer to Circular Letter 30 on the IHO website:
https://iho.int/en/circular-letters-2026

Please share this opportunity with anyone who may be interested in contributing to GEBCO’s important mission.

Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO
General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans

📢 The latest issue of The International Hydrographic Review ( ) is out now! 🌊

💡 Understanding our is essential for safe navigation, informed , and the sustainable use of marine resources. As technologies evolve and challenges grow, continues to provide the data and insights needed to support a rapidly changing ocean environment.

🔍 Many of the contributions in this issue highlight how diverse and interdisciplinary hydrography has become:
✅ From -based observation and applications to advances in modelling
✅ Community-driven approaches to coastal and Arctic mapping
✅ Research improving survey accuracy and data reliability
✅ Insights into ocean governance, legal frameworks, and policy challenges from the 12th ABLOS Conference
✅ Innovative open-source tools supporting hydrographic data processing workflows

🎓 The issue also showcases emerging talent, including award-winning student research contributing to improved mean sea level modelling in data-sparse coastal regions.

👉 This issue once again brings together a wide range of papers, technical , and perspectives demonstrating the growing importance of hydrography for navigation safety, sustainability, and ocean governance.

📌 The individual articles are available at https://ihr.iho.int/issues/volume-32-1/
📌 Read the full issue here:https://ihr.iho.int/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IHR-32-1.pdf

💡 Interested in contributing? is an open access, peer-reviewed journal covering all aspects of hydrography and related fields: https://ihr.iho.int/submit-an-article/