BMT joins Seabed 2030 to accelerate digital ocean mapping

The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project has announced a new partnership with BMT, which specialises in providing international maritime engineering, science, technology and advisory services.

Seabed 2030 is a collaborative project between The Nippon Foundation and the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO), which seeks to inspire the complete mapping of the world’s ocean and to compile all the data into the freely available GEBCO Ocean Map. The Project is formally endorsed as a Decade Action of the UN Ocean Decade. GEBCO is a joint programme of the International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO and is the only organisation with a mandate to map the entire ocean floor.

BMT – which has over 40 years of maritime experience – helps address complex challenges across the marine environment. Operating from an international network across the Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe, its activities span maritime design, technical consultancy and digital innovation.

Why mapping of the seabed is vital for addressing marine risks

Despite its importance, much of the ocean floor remains unmapped, limiting the ability of decision-makers to fully understand risks and opportunities in the marine domain. The partnership between Seabed 2030 and BMT will create opportunities to share expertise and best practice and to engage with the wider geospatial and maritime communities in support of Seabed 2030’s mission to accelerate ocean mapping.

Welcoming the partnership, Seabed 2030 Director Jamie McMichael-Phillips said: “BMT’s extensive maritime expertise and commitment to innovation make it a valuable addition to the growing network of organisations supporting the global effort to enhance our understanding of the ocean floor.

“By bringing together knowledge, technology and expertise from across the maritime sector, partnerships such as this help strengthen the global ocean mapping community and accelerate progress towards a complete map of the world’s seabed. It is a pleasure to welcome BMT as the latest Seabed 2030 partner.”

How global efforts will further our understanding of the ocean floor

Across Australia and the wider Asia Pacific region, BMT is expanding its maritime capabilities, delivering system assurance and sustainability services for complex and critical assets ranging from offshore renewable energy and port infrastructure to commercial and naval vessels. The collaboration with Seabed 2030 complements this work by connecting BMT’s expertise in maritime design, asset monitoring and environmental and climate solutions with a global initiative focused on improving our understanding of the ocean floor.

Graeme Nayler, BMT’s Managing Director, said: “Better seabed information helps governments and marine operators make safer and more informed decisions across the asset lifecycle, from planning and design through operations, sustainment and decommissioning.

“Through this collaboration and by contributing to a broader international effort to map the seabed, BMT will contribute practical experience in maritime data collection, environmental science and digital systems to support Seabed 2030. As we continue to grow across Australia and the wider APAC region, complementary partnerships like this reinforce our focus on evidence-based decisions, resilient infrastructure and sustainable outcomes across the maritime domain.”

Improving data detection methods towards safe and sustainable solutions

BMT will support the initiative through its maritime data and digital systems, including the Deep Blue Project and the BMT DEEP platform. The Deep Blue Project combines autonomous surface vessels, metocean sensors and advanced analytics to enable persistent, real-time maritime data collection, helping to unlock new approaches to coastal monitoring, port operations and offshore renewable energy projects. BMT DEEP is a cloud-based analytics and asset data platform technology that turns complex metocean and asset data into predictive insights, supporting smarter, safer and more sustainable decisions for offshore assets and coastal infrastructure.

Together, these capabilities improve how seabed and environmental data is gathered, integrated and used, supporting the shift from static datasets to decision-ready information services.

Dr Louise Bruce, Environmental Data Lead and Senior Principal Consultant at BMT, said: “Effective ocean mapping depends on having the right data, at the right time, and being able to use it with confidence. The Deep Blue Project and BMT DEEP help bring together information from multiple sources so it can be interpreted and applied more effectively, from environmental monitoring and coastal resilience to harbour management and offshore asset performance. By contributing our data, engineering and digital innovation expertise to Seabed 2030, we can help make seabed information more accessible and actionable for the communities who depend on the ocean, supporting better-informed decisions and a deeper understanding of the marine environment.”

BMT will work with Seabed 2030’s Regional Centres and wider contributor network to identify opportunities where autonomous data collection, advanced analytics and digital decision-support tools can accelerate the capture and use of bathymetric data. In Australia, this also reflects a wider market shift towards integrated monitoring, digitalisation and risk-based decision-making in ports, coastal infrastructure and maritime operations.

All data collected and shared with the Seabed 2030 Project is included in the free and publicly available GEBCO global grid, ensuring that partners’ contributions benefit and inform governments, industries, researchers and communities worldwide.