30 
BSH kompakt 
Infrastructure 
future processing of data from the North Sea and Bal 
tic Sea monitoring programmes and guarantees that 
suitable products will continue to be available. 
North Atlantic 
On a cruise between Ireland and Newfoundland, the 
20-year-old BSH research vessel "Gauss” routinely 
monitored important ocean climate indicators. An eval 
uation of these data and of those from past years show 
ed a high variability In the northward transport of heat 
and a high dependence on large-scale variations of 
the wind field above the Atlantic Ocean. The long-term 
warming of the upper 500 m layer has continued in 
the north-east Atlantic, according to the ship-of-op- 
portunity programme carried out by the BSH. 
Events 
At numerous national and international events, the 
BSH underlined the importance and problems of the 
oceans and contributed to their solution. The BSH, 
jointly with the Federal Environmental Agency, hosted 
the 10th symposium on "Current Problems of the Ma 
rine Environment”. It was attended by 300 participants 
from the scientific community, politics, and administra 
tion. The BSH was also present at the "Expo am Meer” 
exhibition in Wilhelmshaven, where it presented envi 
ronmental data on the German Bight and information 
about the electronic navigational chart at the "Nautica” 
pavilion of the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building, 
and Housing and In support of the Oceanls exhibition. 
The BSH has a staff of 935 at its two headquarters in 
Hamburg and Rostock. The construction of Its new of 
fice building in Rostock, on the premises of the former 
Neptun shipyard, is making good progress and will be 
completed in 2002. The BSH's budget in 2000 was 
DM 120 million, including investments of DM 18 mil 
lion. 
Modernization of the administration 
The BSH is the first Federal Agency which has intro 
duced a quality management system in all of its de 
partments and has been certified according to the 
International standard ISO 9001. Its testing facilities 
for the type testing of navigational and radiocommuni 
cations equipment and its chemical laboratory have 
been accredited, the latter as one of the first state- 
owned laboratories. The BSH's goal in implementing 
these measures Is to maintain and continually improve 
the quality of its work. Intensified personnel training 
and qualification, the development of corporate prin 
ciples and of a consistent corporate design as well as 
the introduction of a cost control system have been 
measures underlining the BSH's change into a mod 
ern provider of public services. These measures en 
sure that the BSH will fulfill its obligations to shipping 
and the marine environment with reduced resources.