SMART OCEAN HIGHLIGHTS EU MARINE INNOVATION IN IRELAND

Smart Ocean highlights EU marine innovation in Ireland. European Innovation Council-backed company demonstrates real-world Ocean observation technology as part of the official programme of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Smart Ocean was proud to participate in the EU Ocean Act Conference, one of the flagship events in the official programme of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, where European, Irish and marine-sector leaders came together to discuss the strategic role of the ocean in Europe’s future.

Held from 7 to 8 July 2026, the conference focused on the development of the EU Ocean Act and the implementation of the European Ocean Pact, highlighting the growing importance of ocean observation, marine spatial planning, biodiversity, fisheries, offshore renewable energy and resilient marine governance.

For Smart Ocean, the conference represented an important milestone in the company’s journey – from receiving support through the European Innovation Council, formerly as Innomar AS under the Horizon 2020 EIC Accelerator Green Deal, to demonstrating how European innovation is now contributing to real-world projects supporting marine spatial planning, sustainable fisheries, offshore renewable energy and continuous ocean observation.

Since receiving EIC support, Smart Ocean has been recognised by the European Commission with the BlueInvest Award for Blue Deep Tech & Ocean Observation and selected as one of only 20 EU Blue Champions, recognising the company’s contribution to advancing ocean observation technologies and supporting sustainable growth in Europe’s blue economy.

Supporting Ireland’s marine spatial planning

At the conference, Smart Ocean showcased its contribution to the North Irish Sea Array (NISA) through the Digital Effort Traceability Pilot (DETP). DETP has been approved as part of the NISA’s Sustainable Fisheries Community, a funding initiative focused on the enhancement and protection of a sustainable local fishing and marine environment in the waters around the proposed project area. Smart Ocean is working together with NISA and project partners to demonstrate how real-time ocean observation, positioning, geofencing, and digital monitoring can support fisheries operations, offshore renewable energy and marine spatial planning.

“Seeing the project showcased during the EU Ocean Act Conference, as part of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, was a significant milestone. It reflects not only the progress of the project itself, but also Ireland’s commitment to innovation, evidence-led marine spatial planning and sustainable offshore development,” said Christopher Smith, UK Director & Country Manager, Smart Ocean UK.

As part of the official conference programme, Smart Ocean also hosted the Smart Ocean Coastal Experience, giving delegates a practical demonstration of connected ocean technology in the waters around Kilmore Quay and the Saltee Islands. Using the Smart Ocean Coastal platform, participants experienced how real-time positioning and ocean data can support marine monitoring, navigation and offshore operations in a real coastal environment. Delegates preparing to depart Kilmore Quay aboard the Sharp Shooter for the Smart Ocean Coastal Experience and Saltee Islands site visit were briefed on how real-time marine data would support the demonstration, including navigation, situational awareness and practical offshore decision-making.

“As fisheries advisor for NISA and an SFC member, collaborating with Smart Ocean on DETP has been very rewarding. The initiative came from a requirement brought to us from a group of fishermen and through this partnership and the SFC fund, we have been able to deliver a solution. The objective of the SFC is to show how ORE can work to help fishing communities and the environment. This practical digital solution has the potential to fill the data gap for Ireland’s under 12-metre fleet along with a host of other applications including catch traceability and impact monitoring,” said Patrick Hennessy, Senior Marine & Fisheries Advisor at Statkraft.

During the conference, Smart Ocean was pleased to meet with senior European and Irish representatives, including Philip Nugent, Director General for EU, International Affairs and Marine Affairs at Ireland’s Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications; Timmy Dooley, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment; and Charlina Vitcheva, Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE).

Charlina Vitcheva, EU Director-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, attended the conference.

“It was a pleasure to reconnect with Charlina Vitcheva, who presented Smart Ocean with the European Commission’s BlueInvest Award for Blue Deep Tech & Ocean Observation in Brussels in 2024. We are grateful for the invitation from the Irish EU Presidency to demonstrate how our technology is now supporting a real marine spatial planning project in Ireland through our collaboration on NISA was particularly meaningful. It reflects how European innovation can evolve into practical solutions supporting Europe’s oceans,” said David H. Røisland, Co-Founder & Chief Corporate Development Officer, Smart Ocean.

Smart Ocean would like to thank the organisers of the EU Ocean Act Conference, Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, and all partners involved in making the event a success. We also extend our sincere thanks to Mark O’Reilly (FLS), Patrick Hennessy (Statkraft/NISA), Davey and the crew of the Sharp Shooter, and everyone who contributed to the successful delivery of the Smart Ocean Coastal Experience.

As Europe advances the European Ocean Pact, OceanEye and the forthcoming EU Ocean Act, Smart Ocean remains committed to working with partners across Europe to support trusted ocean observation, responsible innovation and the sustainable development of the blue economy.

Image: Kilmore Quay, before the Saltee Islands site visit. Pictured left to right: Mark O’Reilly, FLS for the National DMAP; Davey, skipper of the Sharp Shooter; David H. Røisland; Christopher Smith; Patrick Hennessy, Statkraft/NISA; Kristian Ødegård; Hannah Smith; and Karl Fredrick Fretheim, Head of Tech. Photo credit: Mark O’Reilly, FLS.