(NEWS) WMU Brings Global Experts Together at Posidonia 2026 to Discuss Ocean Technologies

June

2026

WMU Brings Global Experts Together at Posidonia 2026 to Discuss Ocean Technologies

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The World Maritime University-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute (WMU-GOI) hosted the high-level side event, “Ocean Technologies and the Future of the Ocean: Integrating Policy, Science and Industry Perspectives,” on 2 June during the Posidonia 2026 International Shipping Exhibition in Athens.

Delivered within the WMU-GOI Future Ocean Programme, funded by the Nippon Foundation, the side event brought together distinguished leaders from academia, industry and non-state actors to examine how emerging ocean technologies, artificial intelligence, and innovation are reshaping ocean governance and maritime industry.

Professor Maximo Q. Mejia Jr., President of WMU delivered opening remarks alongside H.E. Leonidas Dimitriades-Eugenides, IMO Goodwill Maritime Ambassador and Chairman of the Eugenides Foundation, and H.E. Stefanos Gkikas, Greece’s Deputy Minister of Maritime Affairs & Insular Policy.

Distinguished panelists in the first session explored the legal, financial, geopolitical, and environmental challenges arising from the use of autonomous underwater technologies, as well as potential solutions and future regulatory approaches. For the second panel, distinguished speakers focused on skills, safety, innovation, and the importance of the human element in the era of artificial intelligence.

More information about the side event and speakers can be found on the Future Ocean programme Website‍

About the Future Ocean Programme
The World Maritime University - Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute (WMU-GOI) implements the Future Ocean Programme with the generous support of The Nippon Foundation. Under the auspices of the Future Ocean Programme, the WMU-GOI is dedicated to shaping the future of ocean governance by addressing the triple planetary crisis, which refers to the three main interlinked issues that humanity currently faces: climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss.

The Programme is concerned with the future of ocean governance over a fifty-year span (2024 - 2074) and will deliver both scholarly outcomes and policy-relevant and accessible research outputs, making positive impacts on regional and international processes relating to the protection and sustainable use of areas beyond national jurisdiction, while building regional and national capacity.

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