BlueTech Around the World: Ocean Innovation & Maritime Technologies

🌊 Can we really clean the ocean? Which ocean cleanup technologies actually work at sea?

Plastic pollution, oil spills, Sargassum, jellyfish… Different challenges, different impacts, and no single solution to tackle them all.
Prevention must always come first. But once plastic reaches the ocean or massive Sargassum arrivals threaten coastlines, how can we intercept, contain and collect floating materials before they spread? And who pays for ocean protection?

🎙️ In this episode of BlueTech Around the World, I welcome Rémi Allain, Founder of V2O Marine, a French BlueTech company developing innovative marine nets, floating barriers and collection systems.

After 15 years in naval engineering, Rémi founded V2O Marine in 2021, inspired by witnessing a dolphin eating plastic bags in the Bay of La Ciotat, near Marseille.
Together, we explore the technologies, engineering challenges and business models behind marine pollution collection, including V2O Marine's deployment of 4 km of protective Sargassum barriers in Martinique.

IN THIS EPISODE
• Passive barriers vs active ocean cleanup technologies
• Why floating plastic becomes harder to recover as it disperses
• From oil spill response to marine plastic collection
• Sargassum arrivals and their impacts on Caribbean coastlines
• Engineering barriers to withstand waves, currents and storms
• Why local fishermen's knowledge matters
• Protecting coastlines from jellyfish while considering marine biodiversity
• Who pays for ocean cleanup? Public vs private financing
• Why intercepting plastic in rivers and coastal areas matters
• Rémi's advice for BlueTech entrepreneurs

💡 The key takeaway? There is no magical technology. Protecting our oceans requires prevention, complementary solutions, local expertise and the right interventions at the right time.

Resources and Links:
• Follow us on LinkedIn: BlueTech Around The World - The Blue Connection Podcast
• Connect with us on Instagram: @bluetechpodcast
• Watch our episodes on YouTube: BlueTech Around the World
• Visit our Website: bluetech-podcast.com

Thank you for listening to BlueTech Around the World!

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Follow the podcast, leave a rating or review, and share it! Your support helps us spotlight the technologies, entrepreneurs and ideas transforming the way we interact with the ocean.

🌊 BlueTech Around the World | Ocean Innovation & Maritime Technologies

Innovation FOR and BY the Ocean.

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Seaweed is everywhere in the blue economy conversation. But can we actually scale it?

Food, feed, biostimulants, biomaterials, pharmaceuticals, carbon, biodiversity… Seaweed is often presented as one of the ocean’s most promising resources.

Yet behind the hype lies a much more complex reality: 98% of farmed seaweed is still produced in Asia, most farms remain highly manual, technology adoption is limited, and emerging regions are still searching for the right business models and markets.

In this episode of BlueTech Around the World, I sit down with Karlotta Rieve from Hatch Blue, who has visited more than 200 seaweed farms across Asia, Europe and the Americas.

Together, we explore what the seaweed industry really looks like on the ground? from low-tech community farming to smart monitoring, emerging markets, regulation, marine spatial planning and climate impact.

But one idea keeps coming back throughout our conversation: the next seaweed revolution may not be driven by technology alone.

It may depend on our ability to build better value chains, stronger business models and a new generation of “bridge-building entrepreneurs” capable of connecting coastal communities, technology, markets and investment.

Thank you for listening to BlueTech Around the World! 🌊

Resources:
Seaweed Insights https://seaweedinsights.com/
Global Seaweed New and Emerging Markets Report 2023 — World Bank Group
https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/environment/publication/global-seaweed-new-and-emerging-markets-report-2023
NOWA – Network of Women in Aquaculture https://www.nowaquaculture.org/
 
Join the conversation:
• Follow us on LinkedIn: BlueTech Around The World - The Blue Connection Podcast
• Connect with us on Instagram: @bluetechpodcast
• Watch our episodes on YouTube: BlueTech Around the World
• Visit our Website: bluetech-podcast.com

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and share your favorite episodes to help us spotlight the technologies, entrepreneurs and ideas transforming the way we interact with the ocean.

🌊 BlueTech Around the World | Ocean Innovation & Maritime Technologies

Innovation FOR and BY the Ocean.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Ballast water is one of the most overlooked challenges in the maritime industry, yet one of the most impactful for ocean ecosystems.

Every year, ships transport billions of tons of water across the globe, carrying microscopic organisms that can disrupt biodiversity, damage local fisheries, and spread invasive species.
Since the IMO Ballast Water Management Convention, treating ballast water is no longer optional, it’s mandatory.

So how does it actually work?

In this episode of BlueTech Around the World, we dive into ballast water treatment technologies, with a focus on UV disinfection systems, now used on the majority of ships worldwide.

With Maxime Dedeurwaerder (BIO-UV Group), we explore how these systems work, the real challenges of installation and maintenance, and how the market is evolving beyond compliance.

But this conversation goes further.
From aquaculture (RAS systems) to floating offshore wind and industrial water treatment, discover how one technology is scaling across the entire blue economy.

👉 A must-listen for anyone interested in: maritime innovation, water treatment, aquaculture, offshore wind, and ocean sustainability.

Key question : How can a regulation-driven technology like ballast water treatment evolve into a multi-sector solution across the blue economy?

Thank you for listening to BlueTech Around the World! 🌊

💡 Resources and Links:
Follow us on LinkedIn: BlueTech Podcast

Connect with us on Instagram: @bluetechpodcast

Watch our episodes on YouTube: BlueTech Around the World

Visit our Website: https://www.bluetech-podcast.com/

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share your favorite episodes to help us spotlight the incredible innovations shaping our oceans. 🌊
Stay tuned for more inspiring stories and cutting-edge blue technologies!

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Fisheries are at a turning point.
From climate change and biodiversity loss to illegal fishing and growing demands for transparency, the sector is under immense pressure.
Yet fisheries are also one of the most data-poor sectors of the ocean economy.

In this episode of BlueTech Around the World, we explore how digital technologies, from satellites and connectivity to AI and data platforms, are reshaping fisheries management, from small-scale fishers to national authorities.

My guest, Hervé Galabert, Director of Sustainable Fisheries Applications at CLS, takes us on a journey from space to fishing boats, showing how satellite-based Earth observation, vessel tracking, and data integration are becoming essential tools to build more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive fisheries.

From making small-scale fishers visible, to fighting illegal fishing, improving safety at sea, reducing ghost gear pollution, and supporting better decision-making, this conversation reveals how technology becomes powerful only when it serves people and ecosystems.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
• What “digitalization of fisheries” really means  and how it differs from digital transformation
• How satellites collect and transmit data on vessel activity, ocean conditions and risks
• AIS, VMS, SAR: understanding the key tracking technologies used at sea
• Why traditional monitoring is no longer enough in a changing ocean
• How digital tools help small-scale fishers become visible and included in decision-making
• Real-world success stories: safety at sea, offshore wind & fisheries coexistence
• How satellite data and AI are changing the fight against IUU fishing
• What “dark vessels” are  and how they can be detected
• How technology helps track and reduce ghost gear and marine pollution
• Who pays for digital fisheries tools and how solutions are made more affordable
• The role of open data (Copernicus) in modern fisheries management
• What’s next for digital fisheries: AI, IoT, connectivity  and human intelligence
• Hervé’s advice for young innovators in fisheries, blue tech and ocean conservation
 
Key question
How can digital technologies, from space-based observation to real-time data, help fisheries remain productive, fair, and sustainable in a rapidly changing ocean?

Thank you for listening to BlueTech Around the World! 🌊✨

💡 Resources and Links:
Follow us on LinkedIn: BlueTech Podcast

Connect with us on Instagram: @bluetechpodcast

Watch our episodes on YouTube: BlueTech Around the World

Visit our Website: https://www.bluetech-podcast.com/

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share your favorite episodes to help us spotlight the incredible innovations shaping our oceans. 🌊

Stay tuned for more inspiring stories and cutting-edge blue technologies!

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Coral reefs are the rainforests of the sea.
They cover less than 0.1% of the ocean surface, yet support up to 30% of all marine life, protect coasts, feed millions of people, and fuel tourism and local economies.
Now imagine this: under the pressure of climate change, pollution and human activity, up to 90% of coral reefs could disappear by 2050.
In this episode, we explore a different kind of ocean innovation: listening to the reef.
My guest, Yann Bayle, PhD in Artificial Intelligence applied to sound analysis and co-founder & CTO of Reef Pulse, is turning coral reefs into data using AI-powered passive acoustic monitoring to understand, protect, and even restore these critical ecosystems.
From decoding the “orchestra” of reef life to using underwater speakers to guide coral larvae back to degraded reefs, this conversation is about how sound + science + entrepreneurship can become a powerful tool for regeneration.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
The origin story of Reef Pulse: from Reunion Island to AI for the ocean

Why coral is an animal, how bleaching works, and what threatens reefs today

The key ecosystem services coral reefs provide to people and coastal communities

The limits of traditional monitoring (divers, satellites, eDNA) and how ecoacoustics changes the game

How Reef Pulse uses AI to record, clean and analyze underwater soundscapes

The difference between healthy vs degraded reef soundscapes

What acoustic restoration is and how underwater speakers can help larvae settle faster

How Reef Pulse balances impact, business models (B2G/B2B) and low-footprint technology

Yann’s advice for young innovators building marine projects with new technologies

 
Key question:
How can we use AI and sound to listen to coral reefs, protect them in real time, and even help bring them back to life—without adding new pressure on the ocean?

Connect with our guest:
🔗 Reef Pulse : https://reef-pulse.com/en/index.php
🔗 Yann Bayle : https://www.linkedin.com/in/yannbayle/

Resources and Links:
Follow us on LinkedIn: BlueTech Podcast

Connect with us on Instagram: @bluetechpodcast

Watch our episodes on YouTube: BlueTech Around the World

Visit our Website: https://www.bluetech-podcast.com/

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share your favorite episodes to help us spotlight the incredible innovations shaping our oceans. 🌊

Stay tuned for more inspiring stories and cutting-edge blue technologies!

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.