Hydrographic Survey Equipment Market Report 2025

This Hydrographic Survey Equipment market report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market’s historic and forecast market growth by geography.

The hydrographic survey equipment market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $3.07 billion in 2024 to $3.27 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.6%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to increase in maritime safety, rise in port and harbor maintenance, rise in offshore resource exploration:, increase in environmental monitoring, rise in infrastructure development.

The hydrographic survey equipment market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $4.35 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.3%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to climate change and sea-level rise, increasing offshore renewable energy, blue economy growth, international collaboration, rising underwater archaeology. Major trends in the forecast period include multi-beam sonar systems, unmanned survey vessels:, lidar technology integration, real-time data processing, integration with gis and remote sensing.

An anticipated rise in maritime trade is expected to boost the growth of the hydrographic survey equipment market in the future. Maritime trade involves the transportation of goods by sea using ships. Hydrographic surveying is a civil engineering service that assesses the physical characteristics of underwater areas, facilitating maritime trade. For example, data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, a Switzerland-based intergovernmental organization, indicates that maritime trade is projected to slow to 1.4% in 2022. However, it is expected to expand at an annual rate of 2.1% from 2023 to 2027. Consequently, the growth in maritime trade is driving the hydrographic survey equipment market.

The growth of the hydrographic survey equipment market is expected to be propelled by the increasing global trade and shipping activities. Shipping trade, which involves the cost-effective and efficient transportation of goods between countries, relies on hydrographic survey equipment for the production of accurate nautical charts to enhance marine expedition safety. According to the World Trade Organization in April 2023, the value of world merchandise trade rose by 12% to $25.3 trillion in 2022, underscoring the importance of hydrographic survey equipment in supporting the safety and efficiency of global trade and shipping.

A notable trend in the hydrographic survey equipment market is the adoption of technological advancements. Major companies in this market are actively engaged in developing innovative technological solutions to strengthen their market position. For example, Kongsberg Maritime, a Europe-based company in the hydrographic survey equipment sector, launched the cNODE Mantis in March 2022. This addition to acoustic modems provides a new capability for streaming live video feeds for various subsea installations, enhancing subsea installation projects by visually monitoring seabed structure placements.

Major players in the hydrographic survey equipment market are introducing innovative solutions, including fully electric survey vessels. These vessels operate on electricity rather than traditional fossil fuels, offering a more environmentally friendly option with reduced emissions and noise pollution. The Port of London Authority (PLA) unveiled a fully electric remotely operated survey vessel in collaboration with the University College of London (UCL) in May 2023. Equipped with innovative sonar and scanning systems, the vessel ensures precise data gathering for navigation, safety, and maintenance, particularly in situations where traditional survey vessels may not be suitable.

In February 2022, Woolpert, a US-based hydrographic engineering and survey company, acquired eTrac Inc. This strategic acquisition aims to enhance integrated architecture, engineering, and geospatial (AEG) capabilities for Woolpert, with eTrac Inc. being a hydrographic survey and marine technology firm based in the United States.

Major companies operating in the hydrographic survey equipment market include Kongsberg Maritime AS, Sonardyne International Ltd., Innomar Technologie GmbH, Edgetech Air Systems Pvt. Ltd., Tritech International Limited, Teledyne Technologies Incorporated, iXblue SaS, SyQwest Inc., Valeport Ltd., Xylem Inc., Raytheon Technologies Corporation, Fugro N.V., Thales Group, Atlas Electronics Inc., Odom Hydrographic Systems Inc., Stewart Technology Associates, H.J. Merrihue GmbH, Mesco Inc., Teg Oceanographic Services Inc., Waterway Surveys Inc., R2Sonic LLC., WASSP Ltd., Applied Acoustics International, ECHO81, Hemisphere GNSS, Hydrotechnik Lübeck GmbH, JFE Advantech Co. Ltd., Knudsen Engineering Limited, L-3 Communications Klein Associates Inc.

Asia-Pacific was the largest region in the hydrographic survey equipment market in 2024. The regions covered in the hydrographic survey equipment market analysis report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa. The countries covered in the hydrographic survey equipment market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK and USA.

Hydrographic survey equipment refers to the combination of software and hardware solutions designed to gather essential data for creating charts related to water depth, topography, tide measurements, and other underwater physical features. These charts are crucial for providing navigational information on the water surface.

The main categories of hydrographic survey equipment include sensing systems, positioning systems, optical systems, profilers, software, and other types. Sensing systems involve the use of technologies such as radar, video, sound, or infrared technology to detect the presence of objects or individuals. These systems are measured by the placement of a 12-inch high by 12-inch diameter cylinder within a minimum area. Various platforms for hydrographic survey equipment include surface vessels, Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV), Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV), and aircraft, covering depths from shallow water to deep water. Applications for this equipment include port and harbor management, offshore oil and gas surveys, cable or pipeline route surveys, hydrographic or bathymetry surveys, among others. The end-users of hydrographic survey equipment span commercial, research, and defense sectors.

The hydrographic survey equipment market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides hydrographic survey equipment market statistics, including hydrographic survey equipment industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a hydrographic survey equipment market share, detailed hydrographic survey equipment market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the hydrographic survey equipment industry. This hydrographic survey equipment market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.

The hydrographic survey equipment market consists of multibeam echo sounders (MBES), side scan sonar, laser scanners, sound speed profilers, sound velocity profilers, portable tide gauges, radar level sensors, interferometric sonar systems, and other hydrographic survey equipment. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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