News
“The race brings people together and promotes innovation for marine conservation.”

---

“The Ocean Race brings people together and the Ocean Race Europe will be a unique platform to raise awareness of marine conservation among Europeans, especially young Europeans,” said Richard Brisius, President of The Ocean Race. “This race brings people together, encourages innovation for marine conservation, and it's all thanks to the teams and sailors, the men and women who do extraordinary things at sea. As an ocean sailor, you are intimately connected to the ocean and have no choice but to stand up for the ocean. Too many of us have lost the emotional connection to the sea: let's use the Ocean Race Europe to help Europeans of all ages learn to care for the sea.”

Kiel's Lord Mayor Ulf Kämpfer: “Sailing is of enormous importance for Kiel. Kiel Week, as the largest sailing event in the world with more than three million visitors, has long been a reference in the sport, but now we want to organise and present world-class sailing all year round, so the Ocean Race is a perfect fit for our city to show our ambitions in the sport. As the proud starting port of the second edition of the Ocean Race Europe, we will not only celebrate sailing, but also organise a variety of activities to protect the climate and the oceans, which are crucial for our common future. We want to bring these issues closer to everyone and believe that the Ocean Race is a great way to do this.”

On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Peter Grönwoldt emphasised that the EU mission calls for ‘social commitment’ and ‘innovative forms of cooperation’ and that Germany is committed to this and is actively contributing to implementation through better networking and mutual exchange. “We share the goal of a race against time for the health of the oceans. The inspiring power of the Ocean Race is key to our mission and we are very happy to have you as a partner to mobilise many people at national, regional and international level.”

Dr Toste Tanhua, senior scientist in chemical oceanography at GEOMAR, coordinator of the innovation platform SOOP and long-time partner of the sailing community and The Ocean Race in collecting ocean data, warned that UNCLOS, the current legal framework for ocean observation, is outdated and needs to be changed: “The ocean is big and we need to observe it and understand its state. With the Ocean Race, we have been successfully collecting valuable marine data for several years and will continue to do so. As part of the innovation platform ‘Shaping an Ocean of Opportunity for Industry-Science Collaboration (SOOP)’, we are now expanding our efforts to give non-scientists the opportunity to carry out ocean observations that will provide us with the information we need for a sustainable ocean. There is a treasure chest of ocean data out there, together we have the key to unlock it!”

The event in Kiel was also an opportunity for the host cities of Ocean Race Europe 2025 to showcase best practices and share knowledge from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean. Alfredo Viglienzoni, Deputy Director General of the City of Genoa, emphasised: “We need to protect the ocean, which is the most important life support system. Taking part in the Ocean Race has opened our eyes: We hosted the 2021 Ocean Race Europe Final and the 2023 Grand Final and are now looking forward to the Ocean Race Europe 2025, which is not only an important event for sailing, but also emphasises the importance of sustainability, which is in line with the city's efforts to adopt greener policies.”