Shoreline Surveys Limited

What Shoreline Surveys Limited does

Shoreline Surveys Limited is a UK-based specialist hydrographic and coastal survey company, founded in 1998 and headquartered in South West England, operating under the DNV Group with direct backing from sister company Ocean Ecology. The firm delivers precision bathymetric, geophysical, LiDAR, and coastal survey data to government bodies, port and harbour authorities, water utilities, engineering consultancies, and local councils, enabling clients to navigate safely, plan dredging, manage water infrastructure, and meet regulatory obligations.

The company's technical stack centres on owned-and-operated survey platforms spanning multibeam echo sounding (Norbit iWBMS), single beam echo sounding, side-scan sonar, sub-bottom profiling (pinger, boomer, and portable Stratabox), magnetometry, vessel-mounted LiDAR, and UAS (drone) LiDAR with photogrammetry. A bespoke shallow-draught sensor mounting system and purpose-built shallow-draught vessels allow operations in confined, tidal, and intertidal environments where most competitors cannot mobilise. All data processing, quality assurance, cross-section analysis, volume calculation, and client reporting are delivered in-house, producing integrated above-water and below-water 3D models and outputs compatible with GIS and hydraulic modelling software.

Shoreline generates revenue exclusively through project-based commissions under a direct-to-client professional services model, with no published pricing and projects ranging from one-off bathymetric surveys to long-running monitoring programmes. Customers reach the firm via phone, email ([email protected]), or website enquiry, with a stated 24-hour response commitment. The firm has completed over 3,000 projects since inception and has been actively expanding its team through 2024 and 2025, recruiting surveyors and a dedicated Commercial Manager from the Port of London, while operating exclusively across the UK from its single South West base.

Name

Shoreline Surveys Limited

Legal name

Shoreline Surveys Limited

Website

https://shorelinesurveys.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shoreline Surveys Limited is a UK-based specialist hydrographic and coastal survey company, founded in 1998 and part of the DNV Group, delivering multibeam bathymetric, geophysical, LiDAR, and shallow-water survey services to port authorities, harbour conservancies, the Environment Agency, water utilities, and engineering consultancies across the UK.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

South West England

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Hydrographic Survey Services: Project-based commissions for bathymetric, geophysical, LiDAR, and coastal survey services. Revenue generated from individual survey contracts and ongoing monitoring programmes. Services are tailored to project requirements with deliverables including processed georeferenced data and professional reporting. Clients commission surveys for specific purposes such as dredge planning, navigation safety, asset management, and regulatory compliance.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Shoreline Surveys Limited is a specialist hydrographic and coastal survey company delivering precision bathymetric, geophysical, LiDAR, and coastal survey services to port authorities, harbour masters, local councils, environmental agencies, engineering consultancies, and water utilities across the UK. The company provides multibeam and single beam bathymetry, side-scan sonar, sub-bottom profiling, vessel-mounted and UAS LiDAR, integrated coastal and nearshore surveys, inland waterway surveys, and supporting services such as safety boat provision, vessel charter, and in-house data analysis and reporting.

Product overview

Shoreline Surveys is a specialist hydrographic and coastal survey company offering a focused portfolio of precision survey services for the water environment. The core offering comprises multibeam bathymetric surveys (the flagship high-coverage seabed mapping capability) supplemented by single beam surveys, side-scan sonar, sub-bottom profiling, and integrated geophysical surveys. LiDAR capabilities span both UAS (drone) and vessel-mounted systems for coastal, intertidal, and structure mapping. The portfolio extends to specialist coastal and nearshore surveys, inland waterway surveys for rivers and reservoirs, and port/harbour/marina survey services. Supporting services include safety boat provision, vessel charter, and in-house data analysis and reporting. All equipment is owned, maintained, and operated by the company's own experienced team.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Multibeam Bathymetric Surveys Full-coverage, high-resolution seabed mapping using multibeam echo sounding, delivering near 100% sounding coverage with georeferenced bathymetric datasets on 0.5m grids for dredge planning, navigation safety, and hydrographic charting in ports, harbours, rivers, and coastal environments.
• Single Beam Surveys
• Side Scan Sonar Surveys
• Sub-Bottom Profiling
• Geophysical Surveys
• UAS (Drone) LiDAR Surveys
• Vessel Mounted LiDAR Surveys
• Coastal & Nearshore Surveys
• Rivers, Reservoirs & Inland Waterways Surveys
• Ports, Harbours & Marina Surveys
• Safety Boat Services
• Vessel Charter
• Data Analysis & Reporting

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,000 projects completed since 1998
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DNVcoreOthersShoreline Surveys is part of the DNV Group. DNV is a global risk management and quality assurance company operating across industries including maritime, energy, and healthcare. As part of the DNV Group, Shoreline benefits from the resources, quality standards, and institutional backing of one of the world's leading classification and risk management organisations. The company email uses the dnv.com domain.
• Ocean EcologycoreOthersShoreline Surveys is backed by the resources and quality standards of Ocean Ecology, which is the direct parent company. Ocean Ecology provides operational and quality assurance support to Shoreline. Some staff transfer between Shoreline and Ocean Ecology (e.g., Tarin Meredith joined from Ocean Ecology). Ocean Ecology operates in related marine environmental services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ABPmer: UK marine consultancy delivering metocean, coastal process, and hydrographic survey services to ports, regulators, and offshore developers. Comparable customer base and overlap in flood/coastal management and port survey work.
• HR Wallingford: UK-based water and marine research organisation with substantial hydrographic and coastal survey capability supporting flood risk, port engineering, and water infrastructure clients. Comparable in addressing Environment Agency, water utility, and inland-waterway demand.
• Sulmara: Subsea survey and inspection company operating across offshore renewables, oil and gas, and cable-route surveys. Comparable in using multibeam, side-scan sonar, and sub-bottom profiling tooling for marine site characterisation work.
• Ocean Ecology: Direct sister company under DNV Group providing marine environmental and survey services from the same UK base. Closely comparable in scale, customer base, and DNV operational structure, with documented staff movement between the two entities.
• Cathie Associates: Geotechnical and geoscience consultancy providing integrated survey, geophysical, and engineering services to offshore wind and marine infrastructure clients. Comparable in combining bathymetric, geophysical, and geotechnical offerings.
• Bibby HydroMap: UK-based hydrographic and geophysical survey company serving ports, harbours, offshore wind, and coastal clients with similar multibeam, side-scan sonar, and sub-bottom profiling capabilities. Directly comparable in service mix and UK-focused delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Teledyne Marine: Major provider of marine survey instruments, sonars, and integrated survey solutions used across hydrographic and geophysical applications. Adjacent incumbent through its equipment, software, and survey-service footprint relevant to Shoreline's tooling stack.
• Gardline: UK-headquartered marine survey contractor offering geophysical, hydrographic, and environmental survey services worldwide. Comparable in multibeam and sub-bottom profiling capabilities but operates at significantly larger scale and broader geography.
• Boskalis: Global maritime services and dredging contractor with a substantial survey division supporting port development, dredging, and coastal infrastructure. Comparable through its pre- and post-dredge survey work, but operates as a much larger diversified contractor.
• Fugro: Global leader in offshore site characterisation, hydrographic, and geophysical survey services. Larger, broader portfolio player that increasingly competes for shallow-water and nearshore survey work relevant to Shoreline's UK port and coastal clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shoreline-surveys-limited

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shoreline Surveys Limited