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From June 9–13, 2025, OceanX joined global leaders in Nice, France for the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC), a pivotal gathering shaping the future of ocean sustainability. Co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, the conference brought together governments, NGOs, scientists, innovators, and youth to accelerate solutions that protect the ocean as a foundation for biodiversity, resilience, and human prosperity. Throughout the week, OceanX advanced bold scientific, educational, and policy-driven initiatives, and hosted a variety of events aboard the OceanXplorer spotlighting new collaborations, catalyzing innovation, and expanding opportunities for global ocean stewardship.
A major event of the week was the global launch of OceanQuest, a new nonprofit organization and trusted partner of OceanX with a shared vision to leverage cutting-edge science, technology, and storytelling capacities to protect the ocean. OceanX co-hosted the launch and showcased OceanQuest’s early achievements through the recent Around Africa Expedition, which has been endorsed as a contribution to the UN Ocean Decade.
Building on this momentum, OceanX helped accelerate breakthrough marine innovation through the announcement of a new technology pilot with Katapult Ocean. By convening investors, philanthropists, and venture leaders aboard the OceanXplorer, OceanX created a space where early-stage entrepreneurs could share and refine their solutions for conservation, exploration, and monitoring.
OceanX played a central role in shaping the pilot by offering the OceanXplorer as a real-world testing environment for emerging tools and by contributing mission-driven data and operational insight to help startups validate and improve their technologies. The kickoff event highlighted promising ocean technology startups and signaled a growing global commitment to innovation-driven ocean sustainability.
Another significant announcement at UNOC was the launch of a partnership between the Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform (CORDAP) and The Earthshot Prize, focused on accelerating coral restoration through innovation and cross-sector collaboration. OceanX supported this effort by hosting partner discussions aboard the OceanXplorer and using its global communications platforms to elevate the urgency of coral resilience.
OceanX further strengthened the partnership by contributing scientific insight from previous missions in the Red Sea, Southeast Asia, and Malaysia, where coral research and ecosystem monitoring have helped inform restoration strategies. Through these contributions, OceanX strengthened collective momentum toward safeguarding coral ecosystems worldwide.
On day three of UNOC, leaders from philanthropy, science, government, and multilateral organizations gathered aboard the OceanXplorer for the unveiling of Together for the Ocean’s Ocean Protection Gap Report. The findings were stark: only 2.7% of the global ocean was effectively protected, and a $14.6 billion funding shortfall threatened progress toward the UN 30x30 goals.
OceanX, in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies, hosted the rollout to create a focused space for examining the implications of the report and advancing a shared understanding of what meaningful protection requires. Melissa Wright, who leads the Bloomberg Philanthropies Ocean Initiative, opened the session alongside OceanX founder Ray Dalio by noting that “delivering 30x30 is not just an ecological imperative, but a sound investment that returns prosperity.” Together, they helped frame the urgency and opportunity of closing the ocean protection gap.
In parallel, UNOC marked the launch of the International Platform for Ocean Sustainability (IPOS), co-hosted by OceanX and the French Government aboard the OceanXplorer. Established as a demand-driven platform linking ocean science, policy, and society, IPOS aims to help countries turn knowledge into action and accelerate progress toward global ocean commitments.
OceanX contributed mission-driven expertise on how to democratize access to ocean data and expand education as essential pillars of effective policy. By providing the OceanXplorer as a central convening space, OceanX helped shape IPOS’s vision for a more coordinated and equitable global science-policy interface.
Beyond policy and partnerships, OceanX deepened public engagement at the Deep Blue Pavilion. Created in collaboration with MBARI, the Schmidt Ocean Institute, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, OceanQuest, and the Avatar Alliance Foundation, OceanX contributed media, deep-sea footage, and scientific insight to create an immersive, visitor-led journey into the deep sea. Thousands of attendees explored the extraordinary biodiversity of the open ocean and gained a deeper understanding of the importance of continued exploration, research, and protection.
The Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA) Youth Summit brought together 40 young leaders from the Ocean Leaders Fellowship, developed by the SOA and Dona Bertarelli Philanthropy. OceanX helped amplify youth voices by welcoming fellows aboard the OceanXplorer for dialogue, mentorship, and shared learning. Through these engagements, OceanX reaffirmed its commitment to cultivating the next generation of ocean stewards: Leaders prepared to drive innovation, governance, and advocacy for the ocean.
As 22-year-old Ocean Leaders Fellow, Bethlehem Molla, reflected, “We cannot protect what we don’t love. UNOC reminded me how deeply the world cares. And now it’s time to turn that care into collective action.”
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