Scottish survey specialist opens its first English office in Liverpool
Socotec Land & Hydrographic Surveys has expanded its footprint with the opening of a new base in Liverpool. The move extends the reach of the company – which is already one of the UK's leading coastal marine survey companies – beyond its Scottish headquarters in Irvine, positioning it to serve clients across England and signalling a clear ambition to operate as a truly nationwide business.
The Liverpool base gives the company a firm presence in Merseyside, breaking down any geographical barriers that may have previously steered English clients elsewhere. Combined with its well-established reputation in Scotland, Socotec Land & Hydrografic Surveys is now well placed to bring its expertise to a much broader market.
The expansion comes alongside another significant milestone. On 1 April 2026, the company was formally renamed Socotec Land & Hydrographic Surveys, following its acquisition by the Socotec Group in late 2024. The rebrand marks the next chapter in the growth story of the company, which had previously traded as Aspect Land & Hydrographic Surveys.
Natural foothold
Graeme Thomson, operations director at Socotec Land & Hydrographic Surveys, offered some insight into the strategy behind the decision: “Whilst we have completed projects in England over the years, historically there has always been a perception that we were located predominately for works across Scotland, including the Highlands & Islands.”
He added: “Having a presence south of the border will enable us to explore a significant number of new opportunities, as potential clients may have previously perceived us as too far away to be considered for their projects. Liverpool offers a natural foothold given the established marine industry there and our existing client relationships in the region. It provides the ideal base from which to grow our operations.”
New service capabilities
For Socotec UK & Ireland, the integration opens up a range of new service capabilities. The group can now offer comprehensive marine survey disciplines alongside its existing testing, inspection and certification services, broadening the scope of what it brings to clients. For Socotec Land & Hydrographic Surveys, the benefits are equally tangible: the company gains access to Socotec's extensive network of business development managers and an established client base that would have taken years to build independently.
Graeme: “Joining Socotec will be hugely beneficial – we now have a much wider network of resources to draw on, and it's likely that Socotec services clients with marine works requirements that we haven't previously engaged with. The collaboration allows us to offer a complete turnkey package.”
Since the acquisition, the company has worked closely alongside Socotec's Infrastructure and Environmental teams on a range of client projects, spanning both onshore and offshore geotechnical investigations. This collaboration is already looking ahead, with the teams actively working together on future bids that combine marine vibrocoring with Socotec's in-house laboratory capabilities.
Matthew Marriott, Socotec UK & Ireland’s CEO, said: “Our acquisition of Aspect in July 2024 has opened up lots of new service offerings for us as a business. With a well-established client base in the UK and Ireland, Socotec Land & Hydrographic Surveys opening up in Liverpool will also help extend the level of customer service Graeme and his team can provide.”
