This was the first time the OCEANS conference came to the “Emerald Isle” and the first entirely in-person conference after COVID-19.
The event was held at the University of Limerick Green Campus, a beautiful parkland with the River Shannon as its unifying focal point.
The local hosting was led by the Centre for Robotics and Intelligent Systems (CRIS), the only research Centre in Ireland in underwater robotics, with the support of the key partner for the event, Marine Institute, a leading Irish marine research institution.
OCEANS’23 Limerick attracted close to 700 delegates across all the registration categories.
Delegates gathered from around the world for four days (5 to 8 June) to highlight relevant topics and current trends while creating a community of learners and influencers who consistently advance research, practices, and policies under the “Blue Ocean Planet Earth” theme. The conference theme was broader, enabling the committee to offer a diverse technical programme, but with a focus on the relevant local and geographical interest topics.
OCEANS 2023 programme
To reflect and underpin the conference theme, a set of local Limerick topics was chosen to be the conference’s centerpiece. A series of plenary and keynote talks were presented to highlight them. These local topics include Offshore wind energy, Ship decarbonisation, Drones in marine applications, Cultural heritage and underwater archaeology, Artificial Intelligence in Ocean Science & Technology, Analytics and Sensing: A new age of dynamic observations, Renewable Energy from the Sea (Wave, Tidal, OTEC, Salinity gradient…), Sustainable Blue Economy, Maritime Vehicle Navigation, Deep Sea Mining, deep sea exploration and parallels to outer space.
Technical sessions
Ten parallel trucks were run during each conference day, covering a total of 428 presentations, including the general poster session and student poster competition. There were ten special sessions. Traditionally the highest number of papers were presented under the “Autonomous underwater vehicle” topic. The programme was exciting, comprehensive and well-balanced.
Exhibition
The exhibition was held in two connected marquees near the conference hall. This made it still possible to bring the technical sessions and the exhibits close together and to have an increased footfall in the exhibition space. The exhibition attracted 42 Companies, Research Institutes, Professional Bodies, Societies, and Media Organizations.
Social programme
As in all OCEANS conferences, the social program is essential in enabling delegates to relax and interact in an informal atmosphere. The OCEANS ’23 Limerick team organised a schedule of events designed to give delegates the full flavour of Irish culture.
