A close-up image of a bamboo coral called Acanella arbuscula taken from 1000m deep. Image courtesy of the NERC funded Deep Links Project (University of Plymouth, Oxford University, JNCC, BGS).

OSLO, 08.06.21 – The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO formally announced today, World Ocean Day, that it would endorse Challenger 150, a new 10 year programme focused on deep-sea science, as an action of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

REV Ocean will support Challenger 150 through Deep-Ocean Training (DOT) expeditions which include 18 days of ship time per year throughout the Ocean Decade. DOT follows the model of the successful UNESCO-IOC Training Through Research (TTR) program. The goal is to provide the vessel to early-career scientists and researchers in developing countries who may not have easy access to field opportunities.

Challenger 150, is a global cooperative that brings together deep-sea researchers from 25+ nations, to coordinate biological sampling, monitoring, methods and capacity building efforts in deep-sea science. Challenger 150 will generate new geological, physical, biogeochemical, and biological data through a global cooperative of science and innovation, including the application of new technology. These data will be used to understand how changes in the deep sea impact the wider ocean and life on the planet.

The Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic Oceans will be explored within the first three months of the programme, followed by at least 19 other deep-sea research expeditions over the next three years reaching all around the globe. The expeditions will aim to build greater capacity and diversity in the deep-sea scientific community, acknowledging the fact that existing deep-sea research is conducted primarily by developed nations with access to resources and infrastructure.

Challenger 150 co-leads, Drs. Kerry Howell (University of Plymouth, UK) and Ana Hilário (University of Aveiro, Portugal) are eager to begin. “Effective management of the deep sea is a truly global challenge that demands a cooperative approach to science, informed by end-user needs,” said Prof Howell. Dr Hilário continued “Challenger 150 aims to train the next generation of deep-sea biologists and to strengthen deep-sea scientific expertise in nations where opportunities for research has been is limited; such enhanced capacity will allow countries to exercise their full role in international discussions on the use of ocean resources within and outside of their national boundaries.”

Challenger 150 is a grassroots programme, organised through Regional Scientific Research Committees that interact with relevant community stakeholders to ensure field projects remain aligned with regional end-user needs. These Committees will catalyse co-design and co-delivery approaches throughout the Decade.

Key to achieving the programme’s aims are partnerships with REV Ocean and the Schmidt Ocean Institute. Both philanthropic organizations will be supporting Challenger 150 with the development of deep-ocean scientific capacity and knowledge exchange, through oceanographic expeditions and other programs. The goal is to improve long-term deep-sea research skills in nations where they are currently limited and amongst early career scientists.

“Challenger 150 is an exciting programme drawing together researchers from all over the world to collaborate on solving the mysteries of the deep ocean: how much life it harbours, where it is found, how deep-sea ecosystems function and how it contributes to us, humankind,” said Dr Alex Rogers, REV Ocean Director of Science. “I am delighted UNESCO IOC have approved this programme, I have no doubt we will discover many new species and things about the deep sea we never suspected.”

“The ocean accounts for over 95% of the Earth’s living space, but less than 5% has been explored. In this Decade of Ocean Science, Challenger 150 is a bold programme that focuses attention on the deep sea, broadening global inclusivity whilst advancing our knowledge about our ocean,” said Dr. Jyotika Virmani, Schmidt Ocean Institute Executive Director. “We now have the technology to really uncover these hidden depths, allowing scientists from all over the world to collaborate on important deep-sea expeditions and to share that data to help inform policy and management decisions”

Working closely with the Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI), the programme will use new knowledge of the deep to support regional, national, and international decision-making on deep-sea issues including mining, hydrocarbon extraction, fishing, climate mitigation, laying of telecommunications cables and conservation.

Working alongside other Ocean Decade programmes Challenger 150 will contribute to achieving the Ocean Decade objectives.

List of UN Decade endorsed programmes.

About the Organizations

General information about the UN Decade
The United Nations General Assembly has declared the decade of 2021-2030 as the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (‘the Ocean Decade’), aimed to stimulate ocean science and knowledge generation to produce new opportunities and create public awareness on the usefulness of ocean for its sustainable use. The decade proposals all work towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 14 (‘Life Below Water’), as well as others.

Schmidt Ocean Institute
Schmidt Ocean Institute was established in 2009 by Eric and Wendy Schmidt to advance oceanographic research through the development of innovative technologies, open sharing of information, and broad communication about ocean health. It operates Falkor, the only year-round philanthropic research vessel in the world that is made available to the international science community at no cost. For more information, visit www.schmidtocean.org.

REV Ocean
REV Ocean is a not-for-profit company created with one overarching purpose and ambition – to make our ocean healthy again. Established in Norway in 2017, REV Ocean’s mission is to enable and inspire ocean solutions and combat the negative pressures currently affecting the ocean. The science strategy is focused on dealing with plastic pollution, climate change, and the environmental impacts of unsustainable fishing.

Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative
The Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative is a global network of experts which seeks to integrate science, technology, policy, law and economics to advise on ecosystem-based management of resource use in the deep ocean and strategies to maintain the integrity of deep-ocean ecosystems within and beyond national jurisdiction.

REV Ocean Science Director Alex Rogers provides solutions for equitable science exploration and follow-up reporting in a new paper published in Frontiers in Marine Science.

OSLO, 31.05.21 – Areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) cover 61% of the ocean surface, 73% of its volume, and are rich in biodiversity. It is becoming more understood that genetic resources could provide a range of new products from pharmaceuticals to cosmetics to food supplements. Conducting scientific research in this part of the ocean is expensive, requires cutting edge technology and highly educated scientists and technicians. Under international law, anybody can access and use these resources sustainably. But in practice, only a handful of countries can do so, which could lead to an inequitable situation where wealthier nations get wealthier.

The Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement is being discussed within the United Nations to ensure sustainable and equitable use of genetic resources. Several outstanding questions need to be answered before the agreement can be finalised. How can researchers effectively share information and knowledge? How can the research community increase access to marine genetic resources? What can wealthier nations do to enable capacity building and technology transfer to developing nations?

Prof. Rogers identifies several solutions in the paper, including cruise notifications, standardising the collection and archiving samples and data, genome mining, and capacity building.

A globally available platform for pre-cruise notification and post-cruise reporting is feasible and is already best practice in many countires, international organisations and projects. The infrastructure exists under the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC IODE). This enables opportunities for developing countries to place personnel onboard research vessels and for collaboration amongst scientists globally.

Standardising collection and archiving samples and data ensures all samples taken in ABNJ have a Globally Unique Identifier (GUID). This allows for long term archiving of samples in discoverable collections and the use of advanced technologies such as digital 2D and 3D imaging to enhance access around the world.

Improvements in bioinformatics and genomic technologies enable identification of Marine Genetic Resources (MGR) from Digital Sequence Information (DSI). Such genome mining helps future proof MGR.

Lifting the capacity of all States supports equitable sharing in the benefits of research, technology development, capacity building and innovation. There are very few initiatives that target training early career researchers at sea. The best examples of capacity building generate equitable partnerships over the long term from which everyone benefits. Training on data management is essential at all levels of career development.

“This paper brought together authors from across the globe to think about how the BBNJ agreement could improve access to the genetic wealth of the ocean for developing states. We identified many opportunities to build capacity and share infrastructure so that all countries can benefit from the legacy of nearly 4 billion years of evolution in the ocean. We very much hope that this paper can inform delegates to the countries negotiating the BBNJ agreement and bring about a better sustainable blue economy for all” – Alex Rogers.

 

 

 

 

REV Ocean’s science director, Prof Alex Rogers, has written an OP-ED in ECO Magazine focussing on the recent Netflix film Seaspiracy.

Read the full article here:
Seaspiracy or Conspiracy? Truth and Hyperbole Behind the Controversial New Netflix Exposé on Fishing. 

ECO Magazine is a marine science publication committed to bringing scientists and professionals the latest ground-breaking research, industry news, and job opportunities from around the world.

March 8, 2021 – Today REV Ocean joined the She of the Sea pledge. REV Ocean is committed to building practices and workplace cultures that actively facilitate, cultivate, and celebrate diversity and inclusion at all levels.  

The not-for-profit company is led by CEO and Marine Biologist Nina Jensen. “We have ambitions to be a diversity and inclusion leader within the yachting, maritime, and science sector. There is a significant correlation between the diversity of teams and overall innovation. It makes business sense. To find innovative high–risk–for–high–reward solutions to save the ocean we must prioritize creating a diverse team. To foster creativity and collaboration within the team, everyone must feel included.” –Nina Jensen. 

The management team is currently 33% female, and the workforce is 43%. The company is still in its growth phase with a mere 23 employees, yet they already have several nationalities, Dutch, British, Canadian, Spanish, Australian, Norwegian working from all over the world. Industry backgrounds from Aquaculture, Oil, Navy, NGO, Automotive and Deep-Sea Ecology help to bring constructive criticism and breakthrough idea generation.  

In June 2020 REV Ocean Signed the UN Global Compact committing to Ten Principles that, at a minimum, meet fundamental responsibilities in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.  

Yachting Industry 

“We are now taking further accountability towards our diversity commitment by signing the She of The Sea Pledge. The first step to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace is to assess where you are. For this reason, we worked with Equality Check to provide a third-party audit of our current environment. We are thrilled that our first employee survey responses indicate we are heading in the right direction with an overall equality score of 4.7/5 compared to 3.1 within the Shipping Industry.” –Nina Jensen 

“She of the Sea, alongside our Signatories and Ambassadors recognise two things: 

1)There are incredible and critical benefits for all major stakeholders that come from weaving diversity and inclusion into our collective DNA. 

2) Over the next few years, there will be two sides. Those that lead and those that get left behind. The only choice we have is in which camp we will sit based on the action or inaction of today. 

We are honoured to have such a dynamic, agile and forward-thinking organisation join the Pledge. REV Ocean is in a unique position to combine global diversity and inclusion strategies with their mission to foster innovative solutions to global sustainability issues.  Seeing this commitment already integrated into their primary focus of environmental impact shows a deep understanding of how critical diverse backgrounds and viewpoints are to this innovation. It is no surprise to see this reflected in above industry average results on the Equality Check Platform. We look forward to seeing the unique and high impact solutions that will come from this exciting partnership” Jenny Matthews, Co-Founder She of the Sea 

Science Sector 

REV Ocean’s Science team has been working hard to help educate and advise the International science community and influence global governance to provide more opportunities to young and unestablished scientists. Alex Rogers, REV Ocean Science Director, has contributed to several papers demonstrating the importance of involving developing countries in the latest Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty discussions.  

“The current Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty discussions have highlighted that the High Seas are open to anyone to perform research as long as they are doing so sustainably. Taking a research expedition vessel to these remote locations, however, is expensive. Legally all nations have access, but economic barriers mean only rich nations truly access the High Seas.” – Alex Rogers 

Prof. Rogers has been diligently building inclusion and diversity frameworks for research cruises to collaborate with developing countries.  

“The framework provides a process to bring scientists on board vessels they wouldn’t otherwise have access to which is only addressing the first problem of access to the high seas. But the challenge is much broader than this as early career researchers must get training in every step of the research process from writing proposals to planning and executing fieldwork and the laboratory studies afterwards culminating in translation of science to policy. The creation of local career development opportunities, so these scientists can return to their home countries and continue the research building marine science capacity in their countries, is critical. Many developing countries host large biodiversity and are experiencing the most extreme impacts of climate change. They need science capacity to find solutions to the problems affecting their coastal oceans that conserve biodiversity, help to mitigate or adapt to climate change and which benefit people.” 

Alex Rogers determination to bring everyone to the science lab is evident in his selection of the REV Ocean Science Innovation Committee which holds the responsibility of reviewing and accepting science proposals to perform research on the REV Ocean vessel. The Committee consists of 5 females and 6 males from all over the world.  

“The Science and Innovation Committee was selected to represent an equitable distribution of gender, age and different regions of the ocean. We have members from Central and South America, Africa and the Indian Ocean (Sri Lanka) as well as more developed countries from Europe, the USA and China. We are already benefiting greatly from the diversity of views on how to improve our science and innovation programme particularly in terms of improving its inclusivity.”  

Maritime Industry  

The final piece of the puzzle is the maritime sector, which has traditionally been dominated by men. “We hire talent based on competency. We will recruit the best and the brightest from all over the world to find new solutions and leverage technological advances that have already been made. We do see a challenge in the talent pool within Marine Technology. Here we need to inspire the next generation to pursue careers within STEM.” Nina Jensen. 

“In my twenty-year career as a Marine Technician and Science Systems Manager I can count on a single hand the number of female technicians I have worked with. In the last decade there have been some positive inroads to addressing this balance with the number of female technicians in the global fleet increasing slightly. However, we still have a long way to go, and I think we are passing over a massive amount of potential. In recent years I have participated in several outreach programs that aim to encourage students to pursue a career at sea especially those from underrepresented groups and communities.  The ultimate goal is to attract as diverse a group as possible. The study, conservation and stewardship of the oceans is a universal task that is the responsibility of each and every one of us and each and every one of us should be afforded the same opportunities to participate and drive that mission. Ultimately this is a mission that benefits the whole human race and not just mankind” Leighton Rolley, REV Ocean Science Systems Manager 

“I navigated these matters for 20 years, and after these years I am quite unaware of the fact that I am a woman in a man’s world. I hope most of the men are equally ignorant to it. I do not expect or accept to be favoured because of it, and I do not expect or accept to be discriminated. Hence, I do not sign on as the female Captain, I sign on as the Captain. A part of the team on the same terms as any colleagues onboard because that is what I am. If we want woman at sea to be the ordinary, we clearly cannot at the same time act as if it is something extraordinary.” Elin Signe Askvik, REV Ocean Captain.  

“Since 2001 I have been working many years in South America where I have seen an increase in female offshore workers. In Brazil 20-50% of my bridge officers were female and often graduated top of their class, the best for the job.” REV Ocean Captain, Nils Baadnes. “My experience in South America makes me optimistic. The industry can learn from Brazil’s efforts to increase female interest in maritime careers. I hope this shift towards equality transcends borders and becomes an international trend.” 

REV Ocean
REV Ocean is a not-for-profit company created with one overarching purpose and ambition: To make the ocean healthy again. Any profit generated from our projects will be reinvested into our work for a healthier ocean.  

For further information and imagery
Media Enquiries, high-resolution imagery and additional technical details can be found at www.revocean.org. 
Media contact: Lawrence Hislop lawrence.hislop@revocean.org   

She of the Sea
She of the sea holds the clear vision of a high performance, competency focused yachting industry, regardless of gender, race or any other factors. www.sheofthesea.com  
Media contact: Jenny Matthews jmatthews@sheofthesea.comm 

By Elin Signe Askvik  

During my upbringing, no one talked about gender.   

I recognise I am fortunate to have grown up in Norway, a country with relatively high equality standards and many opportunities. My parents focused on choices and effort. I don’t think it was conscious, it was just their way of living and working, being sailors and farmers. My sister and I had the same opportunities as my brother. We had the same chances to fail or to succeed. If we failed, my parents were clear that it was because we did not try or want it hard enough. That attitude shaped my life.  

Therefore, I believed I could be anything I wanted. So, I became a sailor. That was what I wanted. And later in my life, as a natural progression, and thanks to leaders who judged me for my competence, I became Captain.   

Incompetence comes in all forms and shapes, and so does competence. One can be useless regardless the gender, or one can be the best.   

We should be hired because we get the job done, not to fulfil a statistic. If I get favoured for being a woman, that pisses me off just as much as being discriminated against because of it. I do not expect or accept any of it.   

On that note, we must be careful to categorize all obstacles as a minority-related one. Sometimes obstacles are just that, obstacles. Regardless of what gender you are you will encounter obstacles. I like to think that we all have a similar number of problems, just perhaps different problems depending on who we are.   

If they are gender-related, we, as minorities, are better off ignoring it. Instead, shake it off. Talk a little louder and push a little harder and do your best.  

There are for sure people out there who may discriminate or challenge you based on characteristics unrelated to your skillset. We all meet them. They should be treated the same way regardless of whom they bully, with ignorance.  

I navigated these matters for 20 years, and after these years I am quite unaware of the fact that I am a woman in a man’s world. I hope most of the men are equally ignorant to it. I do not expect or accept to be favoured because of it, and I do not expect or accept to be discriminated against.   

Hence, I do not sign on as the female Captain, I sign on as the Captain. A part of the team on the same terms as any man on board because that is what I am. I believe you are whom you think yourself to be.  

If we want a woman at sea to be ordinary, we clearly cannot at the same time act as if it is something extraordinary.    

However, my experience has granted me access to many different cultures and countries. I recognise that in the world of 2021 we still need to have the topic on the agenda, to continue to make an effort to change the attitude for those who continue to be held back based on their race, religion or gender. We must never give up on the thought that everyone shall have the same chance to fail, and the same chance to succeed. That is equality.   

The attitude in any community comes from the top. To change the attitude, we must ensure the right mindset of the managers. Captains, CEOs, crewing agents and evidently parents.   

Being a woman at sea is tough sometimes, but it is not just because you are a woman, it is because sometimes it is tough to be at sea. It is not for everyone, but if you have a passion for the ocean, it is worth every struggle.  

No man knows how to navigate the sea from birth, and no woman does either. We both need to be taught. We both should have that chance.  

Fornebu and Bergen – February 16th, 2021 – REV Ocean and the University of Bergen (UiB) signed an agreement today which marks the beginning of an ambitious partnership focused on innovative ocean solutions and support for a sustainable ocean economy.

REV Ocean and UiB have strong research programmes focused on climate-ocean interaction and the impacts that result from increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Both organisations will join forces to provide new science and advise to the UN Decade for Ocean Science, international assessments such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and decision-making processes such as the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP).

The Polar regions will be an area where REV Ocean and UiB collaborate to gain knowledge of some of the most remote and least understood areas of the ocean. Multidisciplinary teams will work together to explore deep-sea ecosystems in polar regions and investigate hydrothermal vents under permanent ice cover in the Arctic (4000 m).

Nina Jensen, CEO of REV Ocean, said “Together with UiB we are in an excellent position to unlock some of the mysteries of the polar regions and to champion sustainable ocean solutions with the amazing innovation and commercial organisations based in Bergen. UiB will also play a key role in our plans for educating the public and inspiring positive impact.”

On Feb 9th UiB secured funding for a new project called Shaping European Research Leaders for Marine Sustainability (SEAS) that will offer 37 three-year postdoctoral positions in ocean challenges and sustainability. REV Ocean’s state of the art vessel and multidisciplinary research focus makes it a natural partner to host visiting fellows for field-work for periods of 2-6 months. REV Ocean also plans to offer postdoctoral opportunities with research teams at its headquarters.

”It is through partnerships that the sustainable development goals can be reached. To us – a university with a strategic focus on marine research and the sustainable development goals – a partnership with REV Ocean is very exciting. It gives us all great opportunities to explore and discover in order to, among other things, fill knowledge gaps on deep-sea ecosystems in the polar region. We also enter the Decade of Ocean Science, declared by the UN, and in light of this we are very glad to enter into a new cross-sectoral partnership for research which will result in development and impact on both a local and international level”, says UiB Rector Margareth Hagen.

REV Ocean and UiB have a keen interest in finding solutions in the field of plastic pollution and competence-based measures to prevent such pollution. This includes research, education and other activities outside traditional natural science, and embraces opportunities with business, law, economics and humanities. The partnership between UiB and REV Ocean has great potential to further strengthen these efforts.

Teams will also focus on education and awareness-raising, in cooperation, with the University Museum of Bergen. This is an excellent opportunity to promote education and raise awareness about the oceans’ challenges and promote a scientific approach to problem-solving such as plastic pollution and its impact on the marine environment.

About REV Ocean
REV Ocean is a not-for-profit company created with one overarching purpose and ambition – to make our oceans healthy again. Established in Norway in 2017, REV Ocean’s mission is to enable and inspire ocean solutions and combat the negative pressures currently affecting the ocean. The science strategy is focused on dealing with plastic pollution, climate change, and the environmental impacts of unsustainable fishing.

About The University of Bergen
The University of Bergen (UiB) is Norway’s largest marine university, with research and education of a high international standard and several world leading research environments. UiB is official SDG14, Life below water, Hub for United Nations Academic Impact and the International Association of Universities.

Media Inquiries:
Lawrence Hislop
Communication Director
REV Ocean
+4748500514
Lawrence.Hislop@revocean.org

 

 

REV Ocean and the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) coordinate actions against plastic pollution, action for blue forests, and collection of ocean data through marine drones and FerryBox ships of opportunity.

REV Ocean and NIVA met last week to formalize their commitments to work together on four key areas.

1. Blue forests for sustainable ocean

Kasper Hancke, marine biologist and PhD senior research scientist at NIVA, co-led an initiative about offshore kelp cultivation and its potential for carbon storage and sequestration, during REV Ocean’s seaweed workshop in November. The workshop brought together industry, scientists, investors, NGOs, and authorities. Together REV Ocean and NIVA are taking the next steps. This will start with exploring ways of filling the knowledge gaps related to seaweed, natural kelp forests and cultivation in relation to moving towards the development of a sustainable economy, conservation of biodiversity and solutions for climate change mitigation.

Seaweed farming has great potential to provide a variety of products that directly address critical targets of several UN Sustainable Development Goals. These products vary from food and animal feed to fertilisers, novel high-value molecules and biopolymers and biofuel. Different actors are exploring potential solutions for carbon sequestration from seaweed as climate restoration actions. These topics were discussed during the REV Ocean seaweed workshop held in November, and we continue discussions with NIVA and other partners to further develop initiatives of offshore seaweed cultivation and potential for carbon capture.” Eva Ramirez-Llodra, REV Ocean Science Coordinator.

Photo: Janne Gitmark/NIVA

2. Marine litter and microplastic in developing countries

NIVA is coordinating 15 European key research institutes to establish harmonized methodologies for the monitoring and assessment of macro-, micro- and nanoplastics in the environment. This should lead to develop blueprints for international standards and recommendations for policy and legislation, an ambitious goal of the newly started European project, EUROqCHARM.

“With NIVA’s leadership, we will start analysing microplastics in drinking water and further scientific collaboration with the aim of contributing to a reduction in marine litter and input from ocean-based and land-based sources. This includes efficient monitoring systems, citizen science as well as forming coalitions and coordinated action on plastic pollution.” Nina Jensen, REV Ocean CEO.

3. The use of marine drones

NIVA is leading the Norwegian infrastructure for drone-based research, mapping and monitoring in the coastal zone; SeaBee. SeaBee is a cutting-edge infrastructure bringing together experts from a variety of fields in a drone-based infrastructure for science and monitoring applications. The goal is to create a cohesive national network, enabling research institutions and other partners to share and use data, collected using drones, to better understand and manage Norway’s natural environment. SeaBee will use this novel data to train a machine-learning algorithm, helping to automate the data analysis process and in turn, allowing researchers to do their important work faster, better, and more cost-efficient.

«The development and use of new, advanced platforms for data collection and analysis, will provide great opportunities for both research and data sharing. Combining this with the facilities offered through REV Ocean, NIVA is looking forward to exciting, cooperative research projects for the future,” says Tor-Petter Johnsen, NIVA Managing Director (from January 1^st 2021).

Partnership with REV Ocean will enable SeaBee drones to be deployed in more remote locations and on a global scale. As a result, NIVA will be able to map and explore changes in blue carbon habitats and resources, ecosystem structure and functioning in an era of anthropogenic pressure.

4. The use of FerryBox ships of opportunity equipped with autonomous sensor and sampling systems

REV Ocean is exploring the possibility of operating a FerryBox system aboard the REV Ocean research vessel. FerryBoxes are equipped with a series of physical, chemical, and biological sensors and samplers that provide observations to help us better understand human impacts on marine systems including, but not limited to, climate change, ocean acidification, and microplastics pollution. FerryBoxes also can include advanced sensors for meteorological and atmospheric observations. Data are sent from ships in near real-time and are available for researchers and for the general public on touchscreen interactive consoles at science centres and museums, and onboard the cruise ships.

In 2001, NIVA began FerryBox observations aboard the Color Line ferries and later expanded to several others. High frequency and regular ocean observations are now made by FerryBox systems in every major Norwegian ocean region.