In addition to the numerous internal, local and national gatherings, the InnovOcean Campus was also the backdrop for various international conferences.
Between 6 and 9 November 2023, over one hundred climate scientists from around the world who were active in the ocean carbon community came together in Ostend. They evaluated the status of the 'Surface Ocean Carbon Value Chain', a well-coordinated series of actions which includes the collection, compiling and analysis of oceanic data in order to inform policymakers of the amount of carbon absorbed by the ocean. The purpose of the meeting was to improve the structure, the process and the resulting supply of critical information to policymakers. In the future, this will take place by means of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), which routinely provides the required information. The +100 ocean experts and stakeholders published the conclusion of the workshop as the ‘Ostend Declaration’. With this declaration, they call for coordinated international and intergovernmental efforts to create a robust, resilient and sustainable carbon observation system for the ocean’s surface.
The participants in the workshop are active in The Global Carbon Budget, SOCAT, SocoNet, IOCCP, ICOS-Ocean Thematic Centre, NOAA, the KADI-project and the George-project. More info on https://www.icos-otc.org/node/223.
2023 marked the third centenary of the General Company Established in the Austrian Netherlands for Commerce and Navigation in the Indies, or the Ostend Company for short (1723-1731). From Ostend, ships sailed to India and China, turning this port into a regional centre of the overseas trade expansion in the 18th century. On the occasion of this 300th anniversary, VLIZ and the Royal Belgian Marine Society organised an international scientific conference at the InnovOcean Campus on 23 and 24 November. The purpose of this conference was to shed light on several hitherto unknown aspects, but also look at what we know about this topic from a different angle. Prior to the conference, an evening lecture for the general public was held on Tuesday 21 November. The 120 participants learnt all there is to know about the impact of this daring trade organisation, both from a local and from a global perspective.
In partnership with the Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences, VLIZ also organised the 34th annual meeting of the International Research Ship Operators (IRSO) from 16 to 20 October 2023. The IRSO forum brings together 49 organisations from 30 countries that operate research vessels. Together, they manage over 100 of the world’s most advanced vessels for marine scientific research. A total of 129 participants attended the meeting in Bruges. The meeting was aimed at sharing information and solving problems of common interest. The focus was always on improving the support of research through the efforts made at sea by the marine scientific community. Of course, a visit to the research vessels RV Belgica and RV Simon Stevin was also on the programme. On this occasion, both ships were moored at the naval base in Zeebrugge on Friday 20 October.