September 30, 2016
The One Sea Ecosystem (2016-2023) was a high-profile, non-profit global alliance of leading commercial manufacturers, integrators and operators of maritime technology, digital solutions and automated and autonomous systems.
Continuing the work as One Sea Association, it promotes the implementation and creation of conditions needed for an automated and autonomous maritime transport system. The association engages in the development of the international legal framework and participates in the standardization work.
History of One Sea
In 2015, forward-thinking individuals and leading global companies in the marine industry conceived the idea of a fully autonomous shipping system. This system would encompass ships, harbors, and logistics equipment, all operating without human errors and guided by highly efficient algorithms. They approached DIMECC to implement this concept as a company-driven endeavor, one that was neutral and not owned or branded by any single commercial entity.
In 2016, we launched “One Sea” as an ecosystem led and funded by companies, operated by DIMECC, and partly funded by Business Finland. Business Finland recognized the enormous growth potential of autonomous maritime business for the marine industry, and saw Finland as a marine technology powerhouse taking the lead in the evolution of autonomous marine logistics.
“One Sea” was chosen as the name for the ecosystem, signifying that the globe is predominantly covered by seas and interconnected water routes. In the One Sea vision, all seas could benefit from unique and standardized autonomous marine traffic technologies. We initiated extensive business, technology, communication, and co-creation efforts, including the Jaakonmeri joint autonomous shipping test area, DIMECC Design4Value and DIMECC Sea4Value research programs, and various smaller initiatives. Some of the outcomes are already in the market, with many details available in our DIMECC publication series.
By 2019, our One Sea customers identified global regulation and standardization as a critical hurdle in the autonomous shipping business. To address this, we established the One Sea Association as a formal entity, enabling the One Sea vision to influence global regulatory institutions. Over time, One Sea’s focus increasingly shifted towards making an impact on regulatory and legislative bodies. In 2023, the association grew out from DIMECC’s ecosystem model and continues now as a global association. DIMECC is proud of having catalyzed the evolution of an independent and successful long-term business, which originally began as an ecosystem without formal and legal foundations.
