Ocean Exchange Announces 2019 Partnership and Event in Fort Lauderdale

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Feb. 8, 2019 - PRLog -- The ninth annual Ocean Exchange, to be hosted in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, will feature twelve innovative, sustainable worldwide solutions that demonstrate the ability to generate economic growth and increase productivity while reducing the use of nature's resources. In its first year in Fort Lauderdale, Ocean Exchange announces its partnership with the Marine Research Hub of South Florida. The event will be held on October 28-30, within the timeframe of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.

"Wallenius Wilhelmsen proudly continues as a global sponsor of Ocean Exchange as it moves to Fort Lauderdale and partners with the Marine Research Hub. These exciting developments will further grow Ocean Exchange as a world-class sustainable innovation event. In keeping with the changes, our Orcelle® Award, which Ocean Exchange hosts, is taking on a definition based on the six United National Sustainable Development Goals applicable to our business," noted Ray Fitzgerald, chair of the Ocean Exchange board and COO of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Solutions.

The Marine Research Hub, headquartered in South Florida, is a 501(c)(3) formed to solidify collaboration among four university oceanographic research centers, three economic development organizations, and the Marine Industries Association of South Florida to establish the region as a global leader in oceanographic research and increase the likelihood of research projects reaching completion in the form of commercialization and technology transfer to benefit the earth and positively impact the human condition.

Bob Swindell, president of the Marine Research Hub and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance, is thrilled with the Ocean Exchange partnership and is already working to ensure a smooth transition of the annual event to Fort Lauderdale, "The Marine Research Hub is extremely proud to partner with such a successful and prestigious organization as Ocean Exchange and excited to host the event during the spectacular Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. We believe that the combination of university research, economic development, and start-up funding will become a successful model for the country as we strive toward finding marketable solutions to the world's most challenging problems."

Ocean Exchange will continue to offer its two $100,000 cash awards to innovative solutions for the Wallenius Wilhelmsen Orcelle® and the Ocean Exchange Neptune Awards. Additionally, during the event, Ocean Exchange will hold its fifth annual collegiate competition for a $10,000 prize.

Ocean Exchange™ accelerates the adoption of solutions that help economies, health and the environment while respecting cultures around the world. In its ninth year, it has awarded over $1.5 million of non-dilutive awards to innovative startup companies. Learn more at oceanexchange.org.

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For more about the Marine Research Hub, visit marineresearchhub.org/.

The Wallenius Wilhelmsen group (OEX: WALWIL) is a market leader in RoRo shipping and vehicle logistics, transporting cars, trucks, rolling equipment and breakbulk around the world. The company operates around 130 vessels servicing 15 trade routes to six continents, and operates a global inland distribution network, 121 processing centres, and 13 marine terminals. The Wallenius Wilhelmsen group consists of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Ocean, Wallenius Wilhelmsen Solutions, EUKOR and ARC. The group is headquartered in Oslo, Norway with 7.500 employees in 29 countries worldwide.  Read more at walleniuswilhelmsen.com