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The World Ocean Council (WOC) - the international, cross-sectoral industry alliance in corporate ocean responsibility - says it continues to attract a growing number of companies from a widening array of ocean industries.

Lloyd’s Register of Shipping, one of the world’s oldest companies, has become the newest WOC member. Tom Boardley, Marine Manager, noted, “As Lloyd’s Register celebrates its 250th year, we are proud to continue playing a leadership role - now by joining with other responsible ocean companies as Founding Members of the World Ocean Council and working together to ensure the health of the ocean.”

Michael Crye, Executive Vice President for The Cruise Line International Association (CLIA), another recent member, commented: “The cruise industry depends on a clean and vibrant marine environment. We are constantly seeking to reduce our ocean footprint and want to work with other industries to help ensure we are all doing our part to protect the ocean through best practices and state-of-the-art technology.”

“For the marine technology sector”, highlighted PanGeo Subsea Vice-President for Technology Gary Dinn, “the environmental impacts of ocean use create significant risks to continued ocean economic development, but also create major opportunities for technology innovations to provide solutions. The WOC is bringing together responsible ocean industry operators to minimize ocean industry risk and impacts and optimize the business benefits of collaboration. We encourage other leading marine technology firms to get involved.”

“Heidmar, as one of the world's leading commercial operators of crude oil and product tankers, is a global citizen, with offices in the US, UK and Singapore,” stated Heidmar CEO Tim Brennan. “We take our marine environmental responsibilities very seriously, and know that ensuring the health of the global, interconnected ocean requires global industry leadership. The WOC is an unprecedented alliance of the ocean business community that makes this possible.”

Other new WOC Founding Members include: Almi Tankers, Columbia University’s Center for Energy, Marine Transportation and Public Policy, EPJ Consulting, the Professional Marine Explorers Society, the Sea Research Foundation, Sustainable Oceans International and the Athens Group.

WOC Members met after in June to identify program priorities, which include developing industry involvement in ocean science, observations, data gathering and information sharing.