The enormous potential offered by the blue economy was the focus of the fourth edition of Tomorrow.Blue Economy World Congress (TBEWC), which took place from November 4 to 6 at the Gran Via site of the Fira de Barcelona, as part of the Smart City Expo World Congress. The event highlighted how fishing, aquaculture, port management, shipbuilding and other seas and ocean-related activities make the marine ecosystem a key driver of socio-economic development.
BARCELONA, Spain, November 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — TBEWC brought together 120 experts and 42 sessions during the three major events that made up the congress: Smart Ports: Piers of the Future, promoted by the Port of Barcelona; and the Global Blue Finance Summit and the Sustainable Ocean Summit, both organized by the World Ocean Council.
The congress also included a start-up space, the Ocean Innovation Hub, where 30 emerging companies specializing in the blue economy presented solutions ranging from sensory decontamination barriers to materials for recovering carbon from the seabed, including floating wind platforms, proteins derived from algae biomass and hydrogen refueling buoys for offshore vessels.
Port management and finance
Representatives from nine European, North American and Asian ports participated in the seventh edition of the Smart Ports Congress, including the President of the Port of Barcelona, José Alberto Carbonell; the vice president of the port of Busan (South Korea), Ja-rim Koo; and the CEO of the Port of Hamburg and President of the IAPH (International Association of Ports and Harbors), Jens Meier.
The Global Blue Finance Summit focused on innovation, blue technologies and marine and coastal systems as areas for public and private investment. Speakers included Dale Galvin, managing director of the Global Coral Reef Investment Fund; Esther Badiola, senior climate advisor at the European Investment Bank; and Lucy Holmes, Senior Director of Ocean Markets and Finance at WWF UK.
The Sustainable Ocean Summit explored engaging businesses, startups and innovators in corporate ocean responsibility, with contributions from Jason Giffen, Director of Sustainability and Innovation at the Port of San Diego; Aisha Stenning, business outreach manager for the plastics team at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation; and Ben Rubin, executive director and founder of the Carbon Business Council, among others.
The Tomorrow.Blue Economy World Congress is organized by Fira de Barcelona with the collaboration of Barcelona City Hall through Barcelona Activa; the port of Barcelona; the World Ocean Council; Oceanovation; and Smart Ports: the piers of the future.
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SOURCE Fira de Barcelona
