Top-20 Trends in OceanTech Area
HSE University Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge analyzed trends in ocean technologies using Intelligent FOResight Analytics system iFORA.
Reference: Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge has developed iFORA – a unique big data mining system. It is based on the cutting-edge technologies in machine learning and semantic analysis. iFORA analyses big data to provide decision-makers with objective and valuable insights. The main products of the iFORA system are visual and analytical data showcases and statistical tables. The system analyses 850+ million documents (scientific publications, patents, regulatory framework, market analytics, industry media, materials from international organizations, vacancies and other) in various languages, including English, Russian, Chinese and other Cyrillic & Roman languages. In 2020 iFORA was featured in Nature as an effective decision support tool. The OECD notes iFORA as a successful initiative in the field of digitalization of science.
Global transition to “blue economy” model of balanced marine resources development is capable to provide significant economic growth. The market is expected to reach $3.6 trillion by 2032 with key drivers will be OceanTech cross-cutting technologies shaping the industry contours in such areas as ocean renewable energy, sustainable bioeconomy, digital ocean environment and marine ecosystem restoration (Tab. 1).
Table 1.Top-20 trends in OceanTech area
The core "blue economy" technological basis is marine and underwater robotics (No. 1). Autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles, robotic manipulators perform tasks in the most challenging conditions from marine bottom mapping and underwater infrastructure inspection to ecosystem monitoring. Deep-sea mining robotics systems open access to strategic mineral resources at depths of many kilometers while minimizing impact on fragile biotopes.
Marine renewable energy technologies will be a key driver of the next-generation energy transition. Unlike their land-based counterparts, these solutions can provide 24/7 baseload power by combining various resources—wind, waves, currents, and temperature gradients. Floating offshore wind turbines (No. 2) have the potential to unlock 80% of the world's wind energy potential in waters deeper than 60 m. In the EU, floating wind power is one of the fastest growing economic sectors and is considering as a strategic area to achieve 84 GW of capacity by 2030 and at least 100 GW by 2040, especially in deep-sea waters. Offshore wind energy already accounts for over half of all employment in the blue economy (53%) and a third of total GVA.
The energy of one cubic meter of tidal current is thousands of times greater than the energy of sunlight in the same volume of air. Along with the development of wind power, a number of countries are developing multi-component marine energy systems, using tidal turbines (TECs) and wave energy convectors (WECs) as stable baseload sources (No. 3).
WECs have already achieved significant technological advances and are actively used in regions with high wave activity (Portugal, the southern coast of Australia, the west coast of the United States, and Chile, others). Recently, CorPower Ocean (Sweden) demonstrated the first highly efficient buoy systems resistant to strong storm surges. TES turbines are predictable and are particularly suitable for straits with strong currents (Maine, USA, Indonesia). The MeyGen pilot project on the Orkney Islands in Scotland has provided electricity to approximately 6,000 homes over six years of operation. Recent advances in wave energy convectors and tidal turbines will make it possible to generate up to 10 GW of electricity by 2030, significantly exceeding current levels.
Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) technologies (No. 9), which use the temperature difference between surface and deep waters to generate continuous electricity, have unique potential among marine power generation installations. They are especially relevant for tropical island states, where they can provide both clean energy and fresh water. Meanwhile, the technology's competitiveness can be achieved by scaling up to 50 MW (existing installations generate electricity with a capacity of only up to 10 MW), and its application remains a long-term prospect: high capital costs and a lack of experience in mass construction are obstacles. Autonomous offshore construction systems (No. 6) will be critical for the construction of the relevant infrastructure, in particular the foundations of power plants and protective hydraulic structures.
The systemic transition of maritime transport, responsible for 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions, to more environmentally friendly solutions is shaping the technological landscape for “green shipping”. This "blue economy" key sector development, which is also among the strategic areas of the current climate agenda, involves the implementation of a whole range of technologies—from the transition to new-generation alternative fuels (ammonia, hydrogen, methanol) to the development of energy-efficient vessels (No. 17) made of lightweight composite materials with hybrid propulsion systems and digital control systems. Such vessels introduction into international shipping, according to some estimates, could increase the share of carbon-free fuels in its energy consumption to 5% by 2030. For example, air-lubricated technology for ship hulls alone could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10-15% by creating a layer between hull and water.
Carbon footprint reducing has a potential to significantly improve bioeconomy and food security sustainability. The global fishing industry provides seafood to over 600 million people, producing over 200 million tons annually, with steadily growing demand for it. Recirculating aquaculture systems (No. 13) are capable of supporting this dynamic. These are high-tech, closed-loop, land-based systems where the aquatic environment is completely controlled, and where, with the help of multi-stage filtration and biological treatment, almost the entire volume of water (over 95%) can be reused. The wastewater from these systems, in turn, can serve as a natural source of fertilizer for aquaponics systems (No. 7) (symbiotic cultivation of fish and plants) within a single technological circuit.
Digitalization is becoming a key driver for preserving marine biodiversity. Smart aquafarms (No. 14) use networks of underwater sensors (for real-time water quality monitoring), drones (for fish feeding and medication distribution), and AI systems (for analyzing fish behavior, early detection, and disease prevention). Smart fishing nets equipped with IoT sensors and catch tracking technologies (No. 19) can significantly reduce bycatch (the unintentional catch of non-target species accounts for up to 40% of the total catch by fishing vessels). Dolphins, in particular, can be killed by marine fishing. The DolphinFree project (France) is testing a fishing net that mimics echolocation signals to repel them. This development is expected to reduce dolphin mortality from fishing gear by 30-40%.
Using a constant stream of data from marine sensors and IoT network (No. 10), a Digital Twin of the Ocean (DTO) (No. 18) a highly accurate virtual model is being created. DTO is an end-to-end digital platform capable of integrating, managing, and optimizing technological solutions across a variety of sectors, from fisheries, smart farms, and marine renewable energy to shipping and green logistics.
By integrating DTO with intelligent marine litter monitoring systems (No. 12), it is possible to track the movement of plastic pollution and assess the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation measures. The first attempts to “digitize” the ocean were undertaken within EU Horizon programme: in 2022, a prototype DTO was created, which later became a project precursor to create the European Digital Twin of the Ocean (EU DTO). Its core currently provides access to vast data sets and shared oceanographic models, which researchers can use to create their own local counterparts. Since 2025, Russia has been developing its own virtual ocean model.
DTO can serve as a foundation for launching large-scale long-term projects, in particular those related to climate change forecasting and damaged ecosystems rehabilitation. Research is already underway to create artificial reefs (No. 11) using 3D printing from eco-friendly materials that mimic the complex structure of natural corals. Blue carbon and carbon credit technologies (No. 5) contribute to preservation and restoration of ecosystems that absorb carbon dioxide (mangroves, salt marshes, seagrasses). For example, such solutions are being used in the Colombian Vida Manglar project, which protects mangrove forests and is financed through the sale of carbon credits; this project is expected to sequester nearly CO2 1 million tons of over 30 years. Another promising area, marine geoengineering (No. 16), is exploring ways to safely enhance the ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide.
Summary:
OceanTech's key trends are shaping a holistic ecosystem for transition to a managed "blue economy," the main focus of which is creation of a new offshore energy base (floating wind power, wave and tidal technologies) for logistics and industry decarbonization. At the same time, a transformation of the bioeconomy is taking place, aimed at creating a sustainable model of food security (in particular, through high-tech aquaculture and smart fisheries). End-to-end digitalization enables the integration of individual solutions into a single technological framework: for example, marine robotics and sensor networks can act as a key physical interface, while digital twins of the ocean can serve as an intelligent operating environment for process management and modeling.
Sources: Calculations based on the iFORA big data mining system (copyright holder: HSE ISSEK); project results in accordance with the approved list of research and methodological support topics stipulated by the HSE State Assignment for 2026.
The material was prepared by Anastasia Malashina
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