“Our Oceans Challenge” Competition Launched

The World Ocean Council (WOC) is part of a growing coalition of maritime leadership companies, industry organizations and knowledge institutes that has launched “Our Oceans Challenge” – a competition for innovation and solutions to address key issues affecting responsible ocean industry operations.

One of the newest WOC members, Heerema Marine Contractors, has catalyzed “Our Oceans Challenge” (OOC) – a business idea competition to solicit ideas from entrepreneurs, offshore experts, scientists and others. WOC is working with the OOC alliance to provide a global platform for outreach to ocean industry stakeholders and entrepreneurs around the world.

The deadline for submitting initial ideas in the first OOC phase is 18 July 2014.

A jury of OOC experts will select the most promising concepts for further development in the competition. OOC will connect entrepreneurs and start-ups with corporations, expertise and investors. By the end of 2015, the entrepreneurs behind the first round of selected ideas will present their business plans to a panel of investors.

The initial themes of “Our Oceans Challenge” include key ocean industry issues and opportunities:

▪ Addressing the need for port reception facilities;

▪ Optimizing the use of vessels and structures for collecting ocean data;

▪ Avoiding or minimizing the impact of marine sound from construction and industry operations;

▪ Avoiding or minimizing the impact of sedimentation from seabed disturbance due to construction, dredging or mining.

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Press Release, June 25, 2014