BlueTech Around the World: Ocean Innovation & Maritime Technologies

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/
 
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🌊 BlueTech Around the World | Ocean Innovation & Maritime Technologies

Innovation FOR and BY the Ocean.

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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! 🌊

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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

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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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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.

A voice crackles over the radio. Panic. A fire onboard. No location. No number of people. Silence.
Now imagine if AI could step in, capture the message, fill in the gaps, call for help, save lives.

In this episode, we explore how a distress call during a sailing trip became the starting point of a deeptech journey aiming to transform VHF,  the “walkie-talkie of the ocean”,  into a real-time intelligent safety assistant powered by AI.

From hackathon to mission-critical deployment with the French Coast Guard (CROSS), discover how maritime safety may be on the verge of a leapfrog moment.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
·        The origin story: a real Mayday call that sparked an innovation journey
·        Ocean Hackathon → prototype: 48 hours together, pure focus, and nonstop feedback loops
·        Why it was hard at first: Big Tech overlooked maritime, no relevant data to train models
·        Why VHF fails under stress (no replay, accents, missing info) and how AI helps operators capture the essentials
·        From B2C to B2B/B2G: co-developing with CROSS for mission-critical use, on-site immersion in operations
·        The smartphone effect at sea: “rent a boat with an app” → more people, less trained VHF users → too many distress calls
·        The tech, simply: speech-to-text with domain models, call classification, searchable logs, supervisor overview
·        Data, not hype: why general AI fails at sea and why annotated maritime data (from CROSS) wins
·        Dual-use angles: from safety to security, piracy comms, multilingual signals, and situational awareness
·        Data protection done right: on-prem vs EU cloud, GDPR, certifications & sovereign choices
·        Go-to-market reality: competitors, differentiation, and value-based licensing.
·        Founder lessons: team fit, funding via contests, patience, and momentum
 
Key question:
How do you turn noisy VHF distress calls into life-saving decisions without overwhelming operators or compromising data security?Thank you for listening to BlueTech Around the World! 🌊✨

🔗 LinkedIn: Vaiata Dynamics
🔗 Guest: Édouard Vallet

💡 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.