The Argentine Hydrographic Service (, abbreviated SHN) is the branch of the
Ministry of Defense responsible for providing
hydrographic services.
Background
Created on January 1, 1879, as ''Oficina Central de Hidrografía'' () by decree 11.289 of President
Nicolás Avellaneda. It became the current SHN on 1972 by National Law 19.922. Since 2007, it became part of the
Ministry of Defense.
The main mission of the SHN is to provide safe navigation on national waters. The service does so with the creation and maintenance of
nautical chart
A nautical chart or hydrographic chart is a graphic representation of a sea region or water body and adjacent coasts or river bank, banks. Depending on the scale (map), scale of the chart, it may show depths of water (bathymetry) and heights of ...
s, coastal marker buoys, and
lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways.
Ligh ...
s. In concordance with the
International Maritime Organization
The International Maritime Organization (IMO; ; ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating maritime transport. The IMO was established following agreement at a ...
regulations, the SHN is also the global coordinator for the
NAVAREA VI zone, which covers the South West Atlantic Ocean region and is responsible for issuing alerts to ships at sea and coordinating search and rescue operations.
The
national official time is also a responsibility of the SHN through the National Naval Observatory.
By means of Decree 788/2007 it was transferred from the
Argentine Navy
The Argentine Navy (ARA; ). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the Argentine Army, Army and the Argentine ...
field to the
Ministry of Defense one.
Fleet
As of 2010 the following Navy ships are assigned to it:
*
ARA ''Puerto Deseado'' (Q-20)Buque Oceanográfico ARA "Puerto Deseado". Campaña SAMOC I – 2010.
/ref>
* ARA ''Comodoro Rivadavia'' (Q-11)
* ARA ''Cormorán'' (Q-15)
* ARA ''Petrel'' (Q-16)
In February 2015 CONICET
The National Scientific and Technical Research Council (, CONICET) is an Argentine government agency which directs and co-ordinates most of the scientific and technical research done in universities and institutes. History
The National Scient ...
acquired the RV Sonne.
References
*
Decree 788/2007
{{Time signal authorities
National hydrographic offices
Naval units and formations of Argentina
Military units and formations established in 1879