Dear World Ocean Council members, partners and network:
Reflecting on activities and actions since World Ocean Day and the last months of preparation and delivery, we are now have our sights set on this year’s Global Blue Finance Summit (#BlueFIN2026) and Sustainable Ocean Summit (#SOS2026), as well as the expanded Ocean Innovation Hub – all nestled in the Tomorrow.Blue Economy Congress.
We have continued to expand and experiment in our programming and partnerships as the strategy, goals and objectives of WOC evolve with the new demands and opportunities that the larger blue economy offers us and all of you as members and partners in our growing network. Over the last year we have seen our communication and storytelling grow and it will continue to do so on and off stage, through the events, and as we anticipate changes in the local, regional and global markets and the planet’s poly-crisis moment.
We will be gathering for our first-ever alumni and member event and conducting research with a university team as we develop better programmes, member benefits and enhanced policy and partnership opportunities. Please join us as we examine past, present and future WOC delivery and impact on the ground together – members and alumni will have already received an email with a survey link for this research project and for the alumni and member reception on 3 November in the private area of the BlueFIN/SOS, The Market. Please send us your input on the survey and if you will be in Barcelona, don’t forget to RSVP to the gathering and drinks reception.
This newsletter contains additional information about the upcoming events as well as key updates and news items, so please give it a read through and follow the links to all the key next steps and outreach. We look forward to seeing all of you in Barcelona in a few weeks!
Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy CEO World Ocean Council
NEWS & UPDATES
World Ocean Council Contributes to Corporate Ocean Data Exchange Workshop
The World Ocean Council contributed to the 5th Scoping Workshop on “Corporate Data Exchange: mCDR / blue carbon”, organised through the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership on 18 September. The workshop brought together stakeholders to explore opportunities, incentives and challenges around corporate data exchange in the marine Carbon Dioxide Removal (mCDR) and blue carbon sectors.
Jill Storey, Ocean CO₂ Removal Advisor at the World Ocean Council / AWOC Barcelona, participated in the workshop, sharing insights on corporate ocean data exchange and the role of data sharing in advancing mCDR.
The workshop forms part of a wider series examining corporate data exchange across blue economy sectors, including ocean energy, offshore wind, fisheries and aquaculture, blue technology, blue carbon and mCDR. The series explores how improved data sharing can support more effective collaboration and help address barriers to data exchange across the blue economy.
The Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership’s work on corporate data exchange also supports the development of a fit-for-purpose European Ocean Observing System, while contributing to policy recommendations for improved data governance in the context of OceanEye and identifying actionable pathways for the Partnership.
Through its contribution, the World Ocean Council continues to engage in collaborative efforts to strengthen ocean data sharing and support a more sustainable, competitive, resilient and regenerative blue economy.
MEDSEAPLAN Workshop on Foresight Scenarios for MSP
MEDSEAPLAN partners and different stakeholders come together in Barcelona for a workshop focused on “Foresight Scenarios for MSP”, bringing together MEDSEAPLAN partners as well as stakeholders of the wider Mediterranean marine and coastal community to exchange perspectives and discuss future scenarios related to Maritime Spatial Planning.
The session builds on MEDSEAPLAN partners’ and different stakeholders’ insights and outcomes from their respective countries, bringing them into an international exchange. This creates an opportunity to compare perspectives and explore how foresight scenarios can support more effective Maritime Spatial Planning and the sustainable use of marine space.
Taking place alongside Tomorrow.Blue Economy, the workshop also connects MEDSEAPLAN’s work with wider conversations around the future of the blue economy and how marine space can be planned to respond to changing demands and opportunities.
DEADLINE – 25 OCTOBER: REGISTER YOUR INTEREST HERE
Vital Ocean Wins Inaugural NEST Pitch Final
WOC member and partner, Vital Ocean, has won the inaugural NEST Pitch Final at Climate Week NYC, taking home a $20,000 prize for its ocean intelligence work. The competition brings together startups working across the resilience economy, with Vital Ocean selected from four finalists to take the inaugural title.
The win adds further visibility to Vital Ocean’s OceanIQ platform and its focus on using ocean intelligence to strengthen resilience. The company’s success also creates a potential opportunity to connect with the wider ocean innovation and investment community in November.
Congratulations to Francesca Fernandez, Vincent Kneefel and the whole Vital Ocean team on the achievement, and to all the finalists who took part in the competition. We look forward to following what comes next for OceanIQ and the team.
| UC Santa Cruz Researcher and Partner Joins WOC in Barcelona Grace Towle is a master’s student in Coastal Science and Policy at the University of California, Santa Cruz and a Program Director at the Center for Sea Rise Solutions, a partner to WOC in recent years. She has recently joined the World Ocean Council in Barcelona as part of her graduate studies, as a WOC Research Associate. Her research focuses on how ports around the world are preparing for climate-related risks and translating resilience planning into action. As part of this work, she is developing PORTADAPT, a global knowledge platform exploring how ports are approaching climate adaptation and resilience across diverse geographic, operational, and governance contexts. Already a partner in our combined efforts around the Blue Glue Initiative and the kick off of the Coastal Resilience Scorecard workshops, we are happy to have Grace with us through our big events and contributing even further to our combined actions and impact. |
| New Extended Podcast and Documentary Film Feature WOC Team and Partners Over the past month WOC CEO Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy and local partners have been engaged in new storytelling moments that help expand the knowledge of our activities and allow the public to connect deeper with us as individuals and organisations. Fed DeGobbi of the Ocean Age Podcast spoke with Stewart about replicating what already works and getting tested solutions into more ports, cities and projects, with the funding to match, as well as a broader range of related topics and timely anecdotes. Their conversation explores the challenges of scaling ocean innovation, the often-overlooked role of wastewater in the blue economy, disaster resilience, and how innovators, enablers and funders can work together to turn proven solutions into real-world impact. They also discuss WOC’s strategy and the upcoming events, taking place in Barcelona this November. |
Listen to/watch the full podcast conversation:
Member and Alumni Survey and First Ever Gathering
WOC has undergone an important period of organizational transformation – strategically, organisationally and programmatically. As we look ahead, one of our top priorities is ensuring that our members are at the center of everything we do. We want to better understand your priorities, how your organization engages in the blue economy and private sector ocean responsibility, as well as how WOC can create more opportunities for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and impact.
To support this effort, we are excited to partner with a team of graduate students from the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University. Under the guidance of WOC leadership, the Thunderbird “Global Challenge Lab” team will help us analyze our membership, identify common areas of interest, and develop recommendations for strengthening member engagement.
They will also help us design WOC’s first-ever Member and Alumni Convening at the end of the day on 3 November 2026. Be on the lookout for the member and alumni emails and if you are a member or alumni organisation, click right through here to the survey.
New York Climate Week: Ocean ROI, Blue Transparency, Science to Capital and more!
Another whirlwind NY Climate Week for 2026, but this time felt a little different for WOC, our partners, our members and new contacts from the week. One reason was the greater engagement specifically around elements of the blue economy, blue finance, ocean GDP and the range of coastal resilience, energy transition and innovation support across sectors and pillars. One example that we co-hosted exemplified many of the conversations and our goals for the week’s engagements.
WOC partnered with Vital Ocean and Edelman to do a private roundtable – “Ocean ROI: The Returns on Ocean Leadership” focused on corporate/private sector leadership and funding for creating a framework for more aligned engagement and investment in a resilient, sustainable and regenerative blue economy.
We had those individuals and organisations deep in the blue and the “blue curious” to talk about solution oriented impact in unison. Firestarters for the session included: Romain Ciarlet, Vice-Chairman & CEO, Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco; Jeremy Pochman, Co-Founder & CEO, 11th Hour Racing; Adam Hosking, Global Solutions Director, Resilience and Climate Response, Jacobs; Colleen Martin, Director of Strategic Partnerships, BMT / Chair, Board of Directors, World Ocean Council; Vincent Kneefel, Co-Founder and CEO, Vital Ocean; Concepción Boo Arias, Head of Global Partnerships & Enablement, Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs, AP Moller Maersk A/S; Cassie Smith, Senior Manager, Corporate Sustainability, Samsung Electronics America. We were fortunate to have M. Sanjayan, CEO, The New York Climate Exchange as our moderator.
There is never enough time but we came out of the nearly two hours with three focus areas for the group to continue with – policy, data and storytelling – all aligned across partnerships and funding to get the work done. A summary document is available, so please reach out to Stewart if you would like to get a copy and get involved. There will be a follow up session on 3 November during the BlueFIN in Barcelona featuring BMT, Jacobs, Edelman and WOC, so please join us there.
We are extremely grateful to our firestarters and the packed room that made the conversation so valuable. Further sessions during the week on ESG/SDG reporting, port finance, marine carbon, etc underlined much of the conversation and the desire to stay solution focused and action oriented.
SOS and BlueFIN Again Headline Tomorrow.Blue Economy World Congress 2026:
The Tomorrow.Blue Economy World Congress (#TBEWC26) returns to Barcelona on 3–5 November 2026, bringing together leaders from ocean industries, blue technology, ports, finance, government and innovation to shape the future of the blue economy.
Hosted by the City of Barcelona, with the Port of Barcelona as Global Partner and the World Ocean Council and OCEANOVATION as Strategic Partners, TBEWC26 takes place alongside Smart City Expo World Congress.
With the 2026 programme now live, discover some of the voices and conversations shaping this year’s congress.
Meet some of the speakers
From blue finance and maritime innovation to coastal resilience, aquaculture and ocean technology, TBEWC26 brings together expertise from across the blue economy.
Adrià Jover, President, International Electric Maritime Association · Alice Schroeder, CEO, Unu Oceano · Allyson Beach, Blue Acceleration Adviser, World Ocean Council · Allyson Browne, Co-founder & CEO, High Ambition Climate Collective · Angus Murphy, Associate, Aquamarine · Cheryl Hapke, Coastal Resilience Strategist, Hapke Coastal LLC · Chris Ninnes, CEO, Aquaculture Stewardship Council · Christopher Sveen, Co-Founder & CEO, renasys · Colleen Martin, Chairperson / Strategic Partnerships Director, BMT Ltd · Deniz Ficicioglu, Founder, Wunderfish and Oceanfruit · Emma Cobos, Director of Innovation and Blue Economy, Port of Barcelona · Eugene Montoya, Founder & Principal, Sandmont Natural Capital · Francesca Cavanna, Managing Director Europe, Mind the Bridge · Hoa Doan, Head of Impact and Sustainability, Notpla · Ignasi Ferrer, CEO and Co-Founder, Ocean Ecostructures · Ines Boujmil, RDI Projects Coordinator and EU Policy Advisor, AquaBioTech Group · Javier Garrido, Innovation Manager, Port of Barcelona · Jenny Cornuelle Krusoe, Executive Vice President / Founder / Chief Operating Officer, AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles · José Manuel Antón García, Head of the Project Management Office, Naval and Maritime Technology Center (CTN) · Karine Toumazeau, CEO, Moshun.Earth SAS · Laureà Fanega Macías, Director General, Fundació Barcelona Capital Nàutica · Leila Ben Hassen, Founder and CEO, Blue Jay Catalyst · Linda Breukers, Waste Management and Circular Economy Expert · Miquel Canals, Director of the Sustainable Blue Economy Chair, University of Barcelona · Santi Mier, CEO and Founder, Oceans52 · Sarah Patton, Founder & CEO, BluSpace · Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy, CEO & Managing Director, World Ocean Council / Co-Founder, Okhtapus · Torsten Thiele, Founder, Global Ocean Trust · Will Symons, Deloitte Asia Pacific Sustainability & Infrastructure Leader, Deloitte · Xavier Rubio Franch, Founder, The Ocean Connections & Old Surfer.
Sessions Spotlight | Tomorrow.BlueEconomy 2026
What are the conversations that will define the blue economy in the years ahead?
Here are 4 sessions of #TBEWC26 worth attending, bringing key topics into focus across investment, resilience, technology and the transformation of ocean industries.
SMART PORTS: PIERS OF THE FUTURE (#SmartPortsBCN) | 3 November
Open innovation in maritime: how corporates and ports work with startups
MODERATOR:
- Alec Wilkinson, TV and Radio Presenter
SPEAKERS:
- Saskia Van Brakel, Innovation and Technology Consultant, Safetytech Accelerator
- Miquel de la Mano, Technical Director, BCN Port Innovation Foundation
GLOBAL BLUE FINANCE SUMMIT (#BlueFIN2026) | 3 November
Who Buys Blue Innovation? From Pilot to Procurement
MODERATOR:
- Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy, CEO & Managing Director, Okhtapus/World Ocean Council
SPEAKERS:
- Ann Carpenter, CEO, Braid Theory
- Allyson Browne, CEO, High Ambition Climate Collective
- Joris Kil, Investment Director, Rotterdam Port Fund
- Tharin Tan, Founder, Pasini Yachts
BARCELONA ACTIVA | 4 November
Barcelona Blue Economy Strategy 2026–2030: From Vision to Action
MODERATOR:
- Anna Majó, Director of Strategic Sectors and Innovation, Barcelona Activa
SPEAKERS:
- Raffaele Mancini, Director, Decade Collaborative Centre_Sustainable Ocean Economy
- Roz Guarnori, Exhibition Portfolio Director, Transport Technology, UKi Media & Events
- Joan Ylla, Deputy Director General for Maritime Policy, Generalitat de Catalunya
SUSTAINABLE OCEAN SUMMIT (#SOS2026) | 5 November
A Just Ocean Transition: Who Benefits?
MODERATOR:
- Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy, CEO & Managing Director, Okhtapus/World Ocean Council
SPEAKERS:
- Xavier Rubio Franch, Founder, The Ocean Connections & Old Surfer
- Dr Laura Canevari, Secretary ITACA Futures, ITACA
Save 25% on your TBEWC26 ticket
Ready to join the conversation in Barcelona? The first 10 people to contact the World Ocean Council can claim 25% off their TBEWC26 ticket.
Email info@worldoceancouncil.org to request your discount.
Book your stay in Barcelona
Planning to attend TBEWC26? Visit this hotel booking platform to explore accommodation options and book your stay at the best available rates.
The World Ocean Council is pleased to announce the latest episodes of Ocean Titans series produced by the Special Interest Films.
- Cutting carbon, not corners: BGN’s sustainable shipping strategy
- Scale powered by Oceanbox: How predictive awareness transforms the aquaculture industry
- Polar Latitudes Expeditions: Rethinking the way we explore Antarctica
- Mertech Marine: The hidden network beneath the sea
- Turning tides into power: Inside Proteus Marine’s ocean energy innovation
- Vitapro: Transforming aquaculture to nourish tomorrow
- Bedrock Ocean: Scalable technology that’s changing seafloor mapping
Check out the full series on www.theoceantitans.com
The “OCEAN TITANS” series anchors analysis and insight from United Nations leading representatives, policy makers, industry and academic leaders charting a new course for the “Decade of Ocean Action” acceleration in saving our oceans with innovative, legislative and strategic solutions. The series showcases- Ocean science, supported by capacity development and how essential it is not only to inform SDG 14 but also other SDGs that have an ocean dimension.
