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New Agreement on Ocean Affairs Signed Between Iceland and EU
The European Union and Iceland have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation on fisheries and ocean affairs. The MoU establishes a framework for deeper and broader cooperation between the EU and Iceland on key priorities, including sustainable fisheries, scientific research, and marine conservation. The arrangement also reinforces joint efforts in protecting marine biodiversity and supporting the energy transition of the fisheries and aquaculture sector.
The agreement, signed by Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, and Iceland’s Minister of Industry, Hanna Katrín Friðriksson, reaffirms the strong partnership between the EU and Iceland, built on shared values, mutual interests, and long-standing cooperation.
A key feature of the MoU is the establishment of an annual high-level dialogue, hosted alternately by the EU and Iceland, to monitor progress and advance cooperation in areas of common interest. The first meeting is scheduled to take place at the beginning of 2026.
Commissioner Kadis and Minister Friðriksson discussed various fisheries and ocean-related issues, including the need for a comprehensive agreement on shared stocks in the Northeast Atlantic, sustainable blue economy, as well as cetacean conservation and welfare.
Both sides emphasized the importance of international cooperation to ensure policies are guided by the best available scientific advice.
The EU and Iceland also acknowledged the importance of aligning efforts to follow up on global biodiversity commitments, including those outlined in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, to ensure sustainable human activities and the protection of vulnerable species.
The EU and Iceland underscored the urgency of swiftly ratifying the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, a landmark treaty that will enhance the protection and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to advancing global ocean governance through effective multilateral cooperation.
The EU and Iceland have a well-established partnership in fisheries and ocean affairs, with a long history of cooperation. This MoU strengthens this cooperation by providing a solid framework for enhanced collaboration in areas of common interest.
The signature of this MoU reinforces the EU‘s leadership in ocean diplomacy, one of the key objectives of the European Ocean Pact. By promoting effective ocean governance globally, the EU aims to safeguard the health of our oceans, protect biodiversity, and support the well-being of communities that depend on them.
WWII Wreck Discovered off Solomon Islands
A team of scientists and explorers aboard the Ocean Exploration Trust’s EV Nautilus has discovered the wreck of the World War II Japanese Navy destroyer Teruzuki on the seabed, beyond 800-m depth in the Solomon Islands.
Using ROVs to investigate a target found during seafloor mapping operations by the University of New Hampshire’s USV DriX, the team found the ship resting in Iron Bottom Sound.
Teruzuki was sunk in WWII’s battles off Guadalcanal. Using historical references, experts confirmed the identity of the ship. The expedition team gathered survey details of the wreck, including a 19-m-long severed segment of Teruzuki’s stern littered with depth charges, which disproves a long-held theory that it was depth charge explosions that sealed the ship’s fate. Severed by torpedo strikes, Teruzuki’s stern was found more than 200 m from the hull and located by high-resolution ROV sonar scans. The ship was found with its forward artillery turrets pointing skyward.
Apply: MIT Sea Grant STREAM Awards, Massachusetts
MIT Sea Grant is now accepting proposals through the STREAM Awards program, open to a broad range of Massachusetts applicants. STREAM Awards support one-year projects up to $9,999.
Short, innovative projects are sought, including:
- Small research projects and seed funding for exploratory or innovative efforts in industry, education, extension, or research
- Undergraduate/graduate student support to expand a classroom or independent research project into a larger project with a more significant educational or outreach component
- Innovative ideas to bring coastal and marine science and engineering into P-12 classrooms, after-school activities, and community events
- Rapid response projects that necessitate timely action in response to a current situation or driver.
Proposals that align with one or more of the following are encouraged:
- Advancing areas of emerging interest (e.g., community resilience, marine debris, contaminants of concern) or focusing on other important resources and issues
- Connecting communities with coastal and marine science, and exploring the intersection between art and science
- Providing innovative approaches to solving problems and leveraging opportunities in resource management, development, or public outreach.
Those interested should request eSeaGrant access by September 12, 2025.
Applications are due September 15, 2025.
NOIA ESG Excellence Award Contest
Entries are being accepted for the 2025 NOIA ESG Excellence Award to recognize outstanding leadership in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance within the offshore energy service and supply sector.
Strong entries will demonstrate:
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Support for NOIA’s Foundational ESG Principles
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Established and institutionalized programs or initiatives
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A clear ESG achievement backed by data or measurable outcomes
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Potential for scalability or adoption across the industry
Entries will be reviewed by an independent panel of experts representing a cross-section of the offshore energy industry, consulting firms and sustainability leaders.
Submissions may be made by offshore service and supply companies in good standing with NOIA. They should be no longer than 20 pages in PDF form.
The deadline to submit is September 5, 2025 to Justin Williams at: jwilliams@noia.org.
Hydrogen Power for World’s Largest Inland Port
Rolls-Royce and Duisburger Hafen AG have opened a CO2-neutral and self-sufficient energy system for the new Duisburg Gateway Terminal, located in the Rhine-Ruhr industrial region of Germany. The core components are two mtu combined heat and power units designed for operation with 100-percent hydrogen: in use for the first time worldwide. The setup is supplemented by an mtu battery storage system, mtu fuel cell systems and a photovoltaic system, integrated via an intelligent energy management system.
Duisport is the world’s largest inland port. This Enerport II flagship project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, sets new standards for sustainable energy supply in large logistics centers and is considered a model for other ports, infrastructure projects and industrial facilities.
Webinar July 23: Insights into Coexistence of Offshore Wind and Fisheries
Marine Renewables Canada will host a webinar July 23 to explore a critical question: Can offshore wind (OSW) and fisheries coexist? This webinar is part of the “Ask an Expert” series.
For generations, the fishing industry has been the cornerstone of rural coastal communities. Its ability to coexist with offshore wind is critical to growing the sector. In this session, you’ll gain firsthand insights into how fisheries engagement is being approached across different jurisdictions and what’s working.
This dynamic session will feature two expert speakers offering perspectives from opposite sides of the Atlantic. A speaker from the U.S. (Maine) will share lessons learned from early-stage fisheries engagement in the OSW planning process. A speaker from Aberdeen, Scotland, will share real-world insights from co-existence efforts at operational floating offshore wind sites.
If you work in policy, development, fisheries, or community engagement, this session offers practical examples and lessons that can inform your approach to offshore wind and ocean co-use.
RFI: Overtopping Breach Mitigation
The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory (GSL) seeks to identify and investigate emerging solutions that can help reduce flood-induced overtopping of earthen levee embankments. There is a pressing need to proactively prevent or to mitigate erosion during embankment overtopping.
The objective of this project is to assist ERDC and its civil works customers, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), in the identification of potential innovative solutions (e.g., novel soil treatments, barriers, etc.) that can be assessed for use in the field. Comprehensive information is required to evaluate emerging solutions that prevent overtopping erosion and breach of earthen levee embankments.
The following criteria are requested to be addressed in the request for information (RFI) responses:
- Type of mitigation technology/solution
- Vendor or developer name, contact information, and relevant experience
- Engineering specifications
- Implementation examples (if available)
- Installation methods (labor, special tools, etc.)
- Typical cost of materials and installation
Deadline for RFI submissions is July 31, 2025.
Resources may be allocated in fiscal year 2026 to assess proposed technologies at a demonstration site or in the laboratory.
Nuclear Energy in Maritime Series
ABS has launched the Nuclear Energy in Maritime Series to explore advanced nuclear technology in maritime, public perception, and its potential to become a safer, sustainable, efficient, and affordable fuel within the industry.
The key themes covered in the series are: advancement in nuclear marinization; safety and environmental impact; and future prospects.
Ocean Plastic Pollution GIS Map
Utilizing data from the San Diego area, ArcGIS Online, and the Living Atlas, OpenOceans has completed a dashboard, toolkit, and predictive model that defines and maps each beach and shoreline within a region and creates a visual understanding of how plastic might travel to that shoreline.
Called the Pathways of Ocean Plastic Pollution (POPP), the Esri Geographic Information System (GIS) dashboard includes geospatial methods to plot individual beaches while highlighting rivers, storm drain outlets, watershed regions that drain to beaches, illegal trash dumps, etc. The dashboard also includes access to ocean current observations that indicate how plastic might have migrated from other areas.
Because 75 percent of ocean plastic is located on a beach or another shoreline, those coastal areas are an appropriate proxy for ocean plastic pollution.
OpenOceans has assembled the following elements to identify these pathways and to help local and regional stakeholders using the dashboard to find and stop the leaks of plastic into the environment before it reaches the ocean:
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Watershed data enable dashboard users to click on the name of a beach and see what watershed affects that beach, including, where available, storm drains, flow lines (intermittent streams), and rivers.
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The Trace Downstream tool enables users to follow the source of a contaminant downstream. Visualizations of ocean currents are also available to help identify which river(s) might have contributed plastic to a shoreline.
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A Plastic tracing tool (PTT) determines how ocean plastic might have reached a given shoreline from an offshore source, including from fishing operations.
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A digital library of solutions to help users of the POPP toolkit find solutions that have been implemented in other parts of the world.
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Stakeholders: organizations that own, maintain or clean up the beach are listed by beach.
OpenOceans is implementing a POPP technology pilot in Ecuador.
Read OpenOceans’ article in Sea Technology‘s January 2025 issue here.
$8.6 Billion Approved for U.S. Coast Guard Icebreakers
President Donald Trump has approved a massive $8.6 billion budget to expand the U.S. Coast Guard’s icebreaker fleet, aiming to boost America’s Arctic presence. The move comes as Russia and China continue strengthening their operations in the polar region. The new funding will support the construction of multiple heavy, medium, and light Arctic Security Cutters with advanced icebreaking capabilities.
Specifically, the budget includes $4.3 billion for up to three heavy Polar Security Cutters and $3.5 billion for medium cutters. An additional $816 million is allocated for other icebreaking vessels. These ships will feature reinforced hulls and specially angled bows to break through thick Arctic ice and operate efficiently in extreme conditions. The Coast Guard currently operates only three Arctic-ready icebreakers.
Trump’s administration is also promoting domestic shipbuilding to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers and challenge China’s maritime dominance. U.S. companies like Bollinger Shipyards and Edison Chouest Offshore have joined forces to form the United Shipbuilding Alliance (USA) and will bid to construct the new vessels. However, some past projects have faced delays and cost overruns, raising concerns about timely delivery.
As Arctic ice melts due to climate change, new sea routes are opening between major economies. Russia and China have formed partnerships to explore and control these emerging trade paths. In response, the U.S., Canada, and Finland created the “ICE Pact” to build 70–90 icebreakers over the next decade to secure Arctic interests and uphold international rules.
Trump has frequently called for building up to 40 new icebreakers, stressing the region’s importance for national security and future energy exploration. These vessels are expected to support oil, gas, and mineral logistics, while also maintaining open supply lines in harsh conditions. Russia already leads with 57 ice-capable vessels, while China is rapidly expanding its fleet.
Although U.S. shipbuilders are leading the effort, international players like Canada’s Davie Shipbuilding and Singapore’s Keppel Amfels have shown interest. However, foreign-built vessels would require a presidential waiver. The U.S. Coast Guard recently took delivery of its first polar icebreaker in 25 years, a sign of renewed focus on Arctic readiness.