Norway has for many decades had a leading role in the management of the sea, much thanks to the Institute of Marine Research (IMR). When REV Ocean is now building the world’s most advanced research vessel, developing a global ocean data platform and working to bring the “World Ocean Headquarters” to Norway, the Marine Research Institute in Bergen is a crucial partner that I look forward to for continued close and good cooperation, says CEO Nina Jensen in the REV Ocean.

The agreement between REV Ocean and IMR is project-based. Several areas have already been identified where the parties can benefit from working together.

Areas of Cooperation include:

1. Collaboration on vessel operations, including scientific equipment;
2. Research collaboration where there are mutual interests in scientific areas (e.g. mesopelagic ecology);
3. Collaboration with a view to explore possibilities for an improved digitalization of ocean observation and data management. This will include:
   • Linking the Ocean Data Platform and the Norwegian Marine Data Center
   • Digital modelling of data from physical water columns, the bottom habitats and the organisms
   • Visualization modules generating user-controlled displays or virtual reality (VR)
4. Through a working group, develop proposals of possible “Revolutionary Marine Science Infrastructure” like the Megacosm project.

View and download the full agreement at this LINK (WeTransfer)

Alex was invited to give a talk on ocean stresses and their solutions as part of an intense two days of talks on a range of sustainability issues from agriculture, building and urban development to drinking water and the ocean. The meeting comprised of a series of excellent talks, many of which were extremely inspiring with respect to new models of how to live more sustainably from the international level to the everyday decisions made by an individual. Alex found the discussions around new forms of agriculture which were using methods such as no tillage to reinvigorate soils, absorb carbon and prevent erosion. Many of the listeners were shocked with respect to the state of the ocean but we identified many common factors leading to degradation of the Earth’s natural systems. Korea was very chilly at this time of year but the intellectual debate immensely stimulating and renewing. Alex left Seoul in the snow to move onto the next meeting in Japan!

The meeting was hosted by GIP / URCA and took place in an old radio station for Rio de Janeiro, now the European Institute of Design. REV Ocean received a warm Brazilian welcome and Alex spent two days hearing about the state of the oceans around Brazil, their management and research needs. The overall picture was very concerning with Brazil not having collected fisheries statistics since 2008 and little understanding of fishing or other impacts on Brazilian waters. REV Ocean looks forward to collaborating with this new venture in marine conservation.

Lively debate and spirited opinions were shared at an open public forum in Bærum municipality. The REV Ocean team was thankful to hear local perspectives on the World Ocean Headquarters building and we look forward to continued input and reactions from the community.

Our web-based opinion form is still open and available for input as well. https://www.dittinnspill.no/

Our common interest is the sea and to strengthen Norway’s role as an #ocean nation. To succeed, we must work together with relevant partners and complement each other’s important initiatives.

To reach this goal, REVOcean organised an informative meeting with key Norwegian institutions to provide an update on our current plans and to discuss cooperation with those in Norway who wish to reach our common goals of improving the health of the sea.

Nearly 40 participants from relevant institutions in research and academia came to visit REV Ocean and hear about our science plans, the technical capabilities of the Research Expedition Vessel (REV), the plans for the World Ocean headquarters, and the ocean data platform.

We will continue to reach out to Norwegian and international partners and build a community that will focus on solutions to improving the health of the oceans.

REV Ocean’s CEO Nina Jensen had a busy week meeting with partners and participating in high-level events at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Taking Action for the Ocean

Nina discussed opportunities and solutions with an esteemed panel of experts including Enric Sala, Michelle Bachelet, Marc Benioff and Al Gore. The panel was moderated by Francine Lacqua, Editor-at-Large and Presenter from Bloomberg Television.

Nina’s key takehome message for the audience:

“Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something. I would recomend these three things for people to act on: use your vote … unless you vote for the political leaders we need, then nothing will change. Reduce meat consumtion, which is a big driver of climate change, and cut out all single use plastic in your daily life.”

The full event is available to view on YouTube.

30×30 vision: Scaling up solutions for Ocean protection through new technologies

Nina moderated a session that was part of the “Ocean Day” programme, convened by the Friends of Ocean Action in collaboration with Salesforce.com.

Speakers included:

• Gloria Fluxa Thienemann, Vice-Chairman and CEO, Iberostar Group
• Enric Sala, Explorer-in-Residence, National Geographic Society
• Brett Jenks, President and CEO, Rare

In the last few years, considerable progress has been made towards achieving the goal of 10% of coastal and marine areas conserved by 2020. The latest science, however, points to the need to be more ambitious and to protect at least 30% of the Ocean if we are to build the resilience of its ecosystems and species to climate change and also help regenerate Ocean life.

The session focused on understanding the urgency of scaling up efforts and presenting concrete solutions and investment opportunities into innovations that can fast-track conservation solutions and support the realization of the 10% target and making the ambition of the 30% by 2030 (30×30) vision at hand.

REV Manager for strategy and partnership, Gry Ulverud, and CFO Martin Moen met with IOC-UNESCO Executive Secretary Vladimir Ryabinin to discuss cooperation on global ocean issues. Some of the main areas of interest include The UN Decade for Ocean Science, REV’s Ocean Data Platform, working with young researchers from developing countries, ocean literacy, and the World Ocean Headquarters. Meetings with the OECD focussed on an OECD-REV Ocean workshop on Innovation April 9-10 2019 and involvement in the Ocean Data Platform.

Hailing from the beautiful Canadian city of Montreal, Lawrence has a graduate degree in International Environmental Policy from the Middlebury Institute in Monterey, California. Throughout his career, Lawrence has worked at the interface of environmental science, policy, and communications, with a particular focus on the Polar regions, high mountain areas, and the global oceans.

Lawrence enjoys working in visual communications and has produced successful photography exhibits, infographics and documentaries for the Arctic Council, UNEP, ICIMOD, the University of the Arctic and other partners. As a photographer, he built up the GRID-Arendal photo library which includes hundreds of free high-resolution environmental images available for download. Before joining REV Ocean, he managed the Climate and Cryosphere Project (CliC) of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), based at the Norwegian Polar Institute in Tromsø.

Lawrence is a camera enthusiast and has an extensive collection of 4×5 film equipment, as well as underwater, drone, and hyperspectral image recording gear. Over the years, he has received more than 20 international photographic awards including the Black+White Magazine Competition Award for Nature Photography, Communication Arts Awards, and multiple nominations for the International Photography Awards (IPA).

Give a warm welcome to Annetta – REV Ocean’s new Administrative Coordinator. Arguably the most important person on our team, she will ensure that all organizational cogwheels run smoothly and help steer REV Ocean in the right direction in the years ahead!

Annetta has several years of experience as an administrative professional, mainly from the oil and gas industry but most recently at Baker Hughes, a GE company, where she worked six years as an Executive and Administrative Assistant. Prior to this she worked 16 years in SAS as a flight attendant. She has project experience as a Conference Coordinator within the electronics industry and as a junior consultant for customer relations studies within the oil and gas industry.

Being half-Italian, Annetta spends every summer in the south of Italy where her father hails from. Having seen the changes in the Adriatic sea over the years and the result of excessive plastic littering, she recently decided to join the ambitious endeavor to help save the world ocean. We’re very happy you decided to join us Annetta!

In the world of seafaring, an operational director of a vessel must know the ins and outs of all operational activities. Embedded in this job description is not only getting REV up and running, but also building an organization onboard and ashore that will be in charge of operating the vessel. Not to mention cruise planning across the globe. Fortunately, this kind of responsibility is nothing new to Øystein.

Hailing from the coastal town of Tromsø in northern Norway, Øystein became well acquainted with the ocean from an early age. His love for the marine lifestyle led him to become a naval officer, followed by two decades at Norwegian Polar Institute where he took part in expeditions and scientific cruises in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Prior to joining REV Ocean, he led the construction of Kronprins Haakon – Norway’s newest and most advanced ice-breaking polar research vessel.

In his spare time Øystein prefers sea and snow related activities, especially cross country and downhill skiing. His hometown offers plenty opportunities to enjoy the outdoors, with its geographical location allowing for picturesque sea-to-summit ventures – being able to see the ocean while traversing mountain ridges is “the perfect combination”, in Øystein’s own words. As much as he loves the Polar areas, Øystein would really like to explore the tropics, which would be a completely new experience for him.