INTERNATIONAL HYDROGRAPHIC REVIEW 
MAY 2020 
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In particular, the main benefit for the mariner is a seamless transition from chart to chart, from 
country to country, and from sea to land, based on a unified height datum. This comes at the 
“price” of potentially changed reference levels in harbors and shifted charted depths 
(see Sections 3 and4). Wherever possible, these changes will be introduced together with major 
updates of anyway outdated map sheets. 
2. Organisational background for the establishment of the BSCD2000 
BSCD2000 was initiated by the Baltic Sea Hydrographic Commission (BSHC). The BSHC (http:// 
www.bshc.pro) is an integrant part of the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO), 
promotes the technical cooperation in the domain of hydrographic surveying, marine cartography 
and nautical information among the neighboring countries of the Baltic Sea region. The main 
objectives of the Commission are the coordination of the production of the Baltic Sea I NT Charts, 
the coordination of hydrographic re-surveys, harmonization of chart datums, harmonization of 
Baltic Sea ENCs, and the exchange of information and the harmonization of practices with regard 
to various issues related to hydrography. Its member states are visualized in Figure 3. 
BSHC-Members 
Sweden 
Germany 
Finland 
Russian 
Federation 
ia 
Estoni 
Latvia 
Lithuania 
Oblast Kaliningrad 
Poland 
Figure 3: Members states of the Baltic Sea Hydrographic Commission (BSHC) 
In 2005, the Baltic Sea Hydrographic Commission (BSHC) recognized the issue of the incompati 
ble chart datums in the Baltic Sea and established the Chart Datum Working Group (CDWG) to 
develop a concept of a harmonized chart datum. The CDWG (http://www.bshc.pro/working- 
groups/cdwg) reports to the BSHC Conferences and aims to implement the Baltic Sea Chart 
Datum 2000 as a common reference level in the Baltic Sea. The working group cooperates with 
relevant bodies, reviews the progress of national plans and proposes harmonization actions. The 
working group also liaises with relevant IHO bodies and studies relevant IHO resolutions and 
specifications. It is currently chaired by Mr Thomas Hammarklint (SMA, Sweden) with Mr Jyrki 
Mononen (Traficom, Finland) as ordinary secretary.