MSDS Marine
MSDS Marine is a UK specialist archaeological contractor providing marine geophysics, diving, and heritage services to government agencies, offshore wind developers, and infrastructure projects.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersBelper, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What MSDS Marine does
MSDS Marine Ltd is a UK-based specialist archaeological contractor founded in 2011, operating from a headquarters in Holbrook, Belper, Derbyshire, with additional offices on the Isle of Skye and in Portsmouth. The company delivers marine and intertidal archaeological services including project management of underwater excavations, marine geophysics and remote sensing (sidescan sonar, magnetometer, sub-bottom profiling, multibeam echo sounder, ROV, USV, and aerial drone survey), HSE-registered diving operations, retained archaeologist services for infrastructure developers, desk-based research, historic building investigation, in-house artefact conservation, and marine heritage crime prevention. The firm runs two integrated departments — MSDS Marine (marine archaeology, diving, geophysics) and MSDS Heritage (terrestrial and historic building archaeology) — and employs 18 staff as of 2025.
The company generates revenue primarily through fee-for-service professional engagements, secured via direct procurement and competitive tendering with government agencies and infrastructure developers. Anchor clients include Historic England (UK marine designation services 2025-2027, Rooswijk1740 project management, marine geophysics guidance), the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE), and Ørsted (retained marine archaeology consultant on the £8.5 billion Hornsea 3 Offshore Wind Farm). Secondary revenue streams include diving equipment servicing at its IDEST-approved test centre, Sonardyne marine technology reselling, educational product sales (Protected Wreck Top Trumps), and grant-funded public engagement work. The business is privately held, self-funded since inception, and holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 45001:2018, HSE diving contractor registration, IDEST test centre status, and CIfA membership.
MSDS Marine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MSDS Marine
- Legal name
- MSDS Marine Ltd
- Website
- https://msdsmarine.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- MSDS Marine is a UK specialist archaeological contractor providing marine geophysics, diving, and heritage services to government agencies, offshore wind developers, and infrastructure projects.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MSDS Marine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Maritime Archaeological Services
- NAICS
- Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136)
- SIC
- Oil & Gas Field Exploration Services (1382)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Underwater Inspection, Maintenance & Repair (UWILD, Diving/ROV, In-water Cleaning) (IMAJAFAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Marine Service Provider Coordination (Diving, Inspection, Class/Survey Support) (TLAHAJAI), Offshore Wind & Marine Spatial Planning Regulation (EUAMANAM)
Keywords
Where MSDS Marine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Belper
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
MSDS Marine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Archaeological Project Services: MSDS Marine provides specialist archaeological services including project management of underwater excavations, retained archaeologist services for infrastructure developments, desk-based research, marine geophysics, diving services, field-based surveys, historic building investigations, conservation services, and heritage crime prevention. Revenue is generated through fee-for-service project engagements with government agencies, infrastructure developers, and private sector clients.
- Diving Equipment Servicing and Cylinder Testing: In-house diving equipment servicing including regulator servicing and IDEST-approved cylinder hydrostatic and visual testing. Revenue generated through per-service fees for commercial and recreational divers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Regulator servicing (full sets) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cylinder testing (IDEST approved) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Protected Wreck Top Trumps card game |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels10 records
MSDS Marine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MSDS Marine is a specialist archaeological contractor delivering marine and terrestrial heritage services, including marine geophysics and remote sensing, HSE-registered commercial diving, project management of underwater excavations, historic building investigation, artefact conservation, heritage crime prevention, and public engagement. The company also operates an IDEST-approved test centre providing diving cylinder and regulator servicing. Services are procured primarily by government heritage agencies and major infrastructure developers through tenders, framework agreements, and retained consultant arrangements.
Product overview
MSDS Marine operates as a specialist archaeological contractor with two integrated departments: MSDS Marine and MSDS Heritage. The core service portfolio includes marine archaeology projects, marine geophysics and remote sensing, HSE-registered diving services, historic building investigation, in-house conservation services, heritage crime prevention, and public engagement programmes. Additional offerings include diving equipment servicing (IDEST approved test centre), the MSDS Marine Grant Awards programme supporting students and volunteers, and virtual dive trails for public access to protected wreck sites. The company also produces industry guidance publications such as the Marine Geophysics Data Acquisition, Processing and Interpretation guidance for Historic England.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Desk Based Services Range of desk-based archaeological services including impact assessment, written schemes of investigation (WSIs), research, project designs, specialist reports, assessments of significance, management reports, and a full range of GIS services for infrastructure and heritage clients.
- Retained Archaeologist Services Provision of retained archaeologists who streamline liaison with regulators, consultees, and stakeholders across the planning, construction, and operation phases of infrastructure and development projects.
- Marine Geophysics & Remote Sensing Full range of geophysical and hydrographic services for archaeology, ecology, and infrastructure planning and monitoring, including survey planning, data collection and processing, interpretation, and visualisation using sidescan sonar, magnetometer, sub-bottom profiling, multibeam echo sounder, ROV, USV, and aerial drone systems.
- Historic Buildings
- Diving Services HSE-registered, fully insured commercial diving contractor delivering surface supply and SCUBA diving services to archaeological, scientific, and specialist marine sector clients.
- Field Based Services Field-based archaeological services including terrestrial, intertidal, and marine construction watching briefs, intertidal survey, ROV, USV, and aerial drone surveys.
- Conservation Services In-house conservation services for terrestrial and marine-recovered archaeological objects, ranging from condition assessments and storage recommendations to documentation, stabilisation, reconstruction, analysis, and preparation for display.
- Marine Heritage Crime Marine heritage crime prevention and investigation services combining a highly experienced team, development of innovative forensic marking security measures, and education and awareness programmes for protected wreck sites.
- Public Engagement, Schools and Events Public outreach services providing hands-on experience in maritime archaeology for students, volunteers, and early career professionals, and engaging wider audiences through events, schools, and educational activities.
- Ecosystems Services Ecosystem services including ecological assessments and environmental monitoring for marine projects, often delivered alongside archaeological survey programmes.
- Diving Equipment Servicing In-house diving equipment servicing through an IDEST-approved test centre, including regulator servicing, hydrostatic cylinder testing, visual inspections, and O2 cleaning for commercial and recreational divers and dive clubs.
- Virtual Dive Trails and 3D Tours Creation of 3D virtual tours and dive trails of protected wreck sites (including the Rooswijk Virtual Trail and U8 Virtual Trail) using 3D modelling and computer-generated imagery, enabling public access to underwater heritage without diving.
- Marine Geophysics Guidance (Historic England commissioned) Second edition of the Marine Geophysics Data Acquisition, Processing and Interpretation guidance commissioned by Historic England and produced by MSDS Marine as authoritative industry guidance.
Quantifiable outcome
- Discovered three rare 17th-century lead ingots on a shipwreck at Ørsted's Hornsea 3 Offshore Wind Farm site, now displayed at the Peak District Lead Mining Museum
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use MSDS Marine
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
MSDS Marine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
MSDS Marine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.
- ØrstedcoreMSDS Marine serves as retained marine archaeology consultant for Ørsted's Hornsea 3 Offshore Wind Farm project, undertaking archaeological surveys, investigating shipwrecks discovered during survey work, and managing the recovery and analysis of artefacts such as 17th-century lead ingots. The partnership involves collaboration with Historic England and the MCA to ensure wreck sites are analysed and preserved before artefacts are rehomed in museums.
- SonardyneminorMSDS Marine was appointed as a UK reseller by marine technology company Sonardyne, expanding its reach in the marine technology sector.
- VestigiaminorMSDS Marine and Vestigia signed a Memorandum of Understanding to bring together extensive experience and capabilities in archaeological services. The partnership enables joint working on projects such as the investigation of a 17th-century cargo vessel in the Dutch IJsselmeer, alongside Baars-CIPRO.
- Ashtree HeritagemajorMSDS Marine and Ashtree Heritage jointly deliver OASIS V rollout support workshops commissioned by Historic England, providing training workshops to support the rollout of the OASIS V system. The partnership was shortlisted for the Learning, Training and Skills category of the 2022 Archaeological Achievement Awards.
- Protected Wreck AssociationmajorThe Protected Wreck Association, in partnership with MSDS Marine, was awarded a grant of nearly £29,000 from Historic England to undertake a project providing support to England's protected wreck site volunteers. MSDS Marine provides professional expertise and project management support to strengthen the Association's systems and services.
- Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)majorThe MCA collaborates with MSDS Marine on wreck investigation projects, including the Hornsea 3 lead ingot discovery where the MCA's Deputy Receiver of Wreck was quoted on the importance of registering maritime finds. MSDS Marine works closely with the MCA alongside Ørsted and Historic England on offshore wind farm archaeological programmes.
- Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE) - Heritage Crime PreventionmajorRCE joined Historic England and MSDS Marine in 2019 as a project partner to develop forensic marking products for underwater cultural property. The partnership aims to deter thefts from protected wreck sites and provide law enforcement with tools to establish provenance of recovered artefacts.
- Historic EnglandcoreHistoric England is the primary government partner commissioning MSDS Marine for marine designation services, protected wreck management projects, public engagement initiatives, marine geophysics guidance development, and heritage crime prevention technology. MSDS Marine is contracted to update the Accessing England's Protected Wreck Sites guidance notes for divers and has delivered multiple projects under Historic England commissions.
- Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE)coreMSDS Marine has been contracted by the RCE as UK project managers for the high-profile #Rooswijk1740 project, the excavation of the Dutch East Indiaman Rooswijk lost on the Goodwin Sands in 1740. This is a joint project with Historic England, with MSDS Marine providing all diving, survey, and project management services. The partnership also includes the development of forensic marking technology for heritage crime prevention.
- University of SouthamptonmajorMSDS Marine works with the University of Southampton to enable hands-on work placements for maritime archaeology students. The company has recruited graduates from the programme and provides practical fieldwork experience using industry-standard software such as QGIS and SonarWiz.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
MSDS Marine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- RPS Group: Global environmental, planning, and engineering consultancy with a marine heritage and offshore development practice. Competes for EIA, marine licensing, and offshore wind consent work where archaeological input is required.
- Ocean Infinity: Large marine survey and subsea services company using multibeam, ROV, and USV technology. Comparable for marine geophysical data acquisition methods but operates at vastly larger scale and in offshore infrastructure rather than archaeology.
- Fugro: Global marine geophysical survey, site characterisation, and offshore asset integrity services firm. Comparable for sub-bottom profiling, sidescan sonar, and magnetometer workflows but serves oil & gas and offshore wind at a vastly larger scale.
Direct peers
- MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology): Large UK archaeological contractor with marine archaeology, geoarchaeology, and developer-services divisions. Direct competitor for infrastructure-led archaeological investigation and heritage advisory work.
- Wessex Archaeology: One of the UK's largest archaeological contractors with established marine archaeology and geophysical survey capabilities. Closest direct competitor for onshore/offshore heritage consulting and offshore wind archaeological services.
- Maritime Archaeology Trust: UK charity specialising in maritime archaeology, dive trails, and public engagement. Overlaps with MSDS Marine on protected wreck site work, dive trail creation, and heritage crime prevention initiatives.
- Headland Archaeology: UK and Ireland-based archaeological contractor offering marine and terrestrial archaeology, geophysical survey, and heritage consulting. Direct competitor for developer-led archaeological input and offshore wind EIA support.
- Cotswold Archaeology: Major UK archaeological contractor with marine capability and infrastructure-sector relationships. Competes for similar government and developer-led heritage surveying and reporting work.
Regional players
- Vestigia: Dutch archaeological services firm with whom MSDS Marine signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2022. Regional peer offering comparable archaeological capabilities in the Netherlands market and joint project delivery partner.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
MSDS Marine social profiles
Digital presenceMSDS Marine compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
MSDS Marine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MSDS Marine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
MSDS Marine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MSDS Marine M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about MSDS Marine
What does MSDS Marine do?
MSDS Marine is a specialist archaeological contractor delivering marine and terrestrial heritage services, including marine geophysics and remote sensing, HSE-registered commercial diving, project management of underwater excavations, historic building investigation, artefact conservation, heritage crime prevention, and public engagement. The company also operates an IDEST-approved test centre providing diving cylinder and regulator servicing. Services are procured primarily by government heritage agencies and major infrastructure developers through tenders, framework agreements, and retained consultant arrangements.
Is MSDS Marine a public or private company?
MSDS Marine is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was MSDS Marine founded?
MSDS Marine was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is MSDS Marine based?
MSDS Marine is headquartered in Belper, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does MSDS Marine make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Archaeological Project Services are the primary driver. The others are diving Equipment Servicing and Cylinder Testing.
Who are MSDS Marine's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are RPS Group, Ocean Infinity and Fugro. Direct peers are MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology), Wessex Archaeology, Maritime Archaeology Trust, Headland Archaeology and Cotswold Archaeology. Vestigia is listed as a regional player.
Does MSDS Marine have an API?
No public API is recorded for MSDS Marine.
What industry is MSDS Marine in?
MSDS Marine's product category is Maritime Archaeological Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAJAFAJ, Underwater Inspection, Maintenance & Repair (UWILD, Diving/ROV, In-water Cleaning), with a secondary code of TLAHAJAI, Marine Service Provider Coordination (Diving, Inspection, Class/Survey Support). Its NAICS code is 54136 and its SIC code is 1382.