The World Ocean Council chooses Barcelona to set up its world headquarters

The World Ocean Council (WOC) has reached an agreement with Barcelona City Council and the Port Authority of Barcelona to locate its world headquarters in the Catalan capital, where it will hold several summits and activities to promote the blue economy.

The WOC, a non-governmental and non-profit organisation, is a world leader in the promotion of the sustainable maritime economy, and over the next four years, it will carry out most of its activities from Barcelona.

The founder and CEO of WOC, Paul Holthus, explained: “We were looking for a venue to grow our organisation; and in Barcelona we have found a great global port, internationally recognised, with an extremely active collaboration with the City Council and the Port of Barcelona, with a firm commitment to become a blue hub and the world capital of the Blue Economy”.

The Sustainable Ocean Summit (SOS) annually welcomes more than 300 senior executives from the maritime industry, and regularly convenes investment groups and companies. This travelling summit is held in a different country each year and will take place in Barcelona every 3 years starting in autumn 2022. The WOC will also organise the 1st Global Blue Finance (BlueFin) in Barcelona, which will be held in the city every two years from autumn 2022.