The ocean has always been a place of possibility. It holds untapped energy, rich biodiversity, and the potential to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges from climate resilience to food security. That promise is what draws many of us to the blue economy, a sector dedicated to sustainable economic activity tied to the sea. But if you spend enough time in this space, you’ll quickly learn that the most powerful currents aren’t just in the water. They’re in policy rooms, procurement systems, and legacy frameworks that move at the speed of molasses.
As someone who builds marine tech solutions from the ground up, I’ve come to understand that innovation in the blue economy doesn’t just require good ideas. It demands patience, diplomacy, and the ability to navigate a sea of bureaucracy one regulation, permit, or geopolitical ripple at a time.
Let’s talk about what really slows innovation, why it happens, and how we can do better.
The Barnacles: Legacy Systems That Drag Us Down
In ocean tech, “barnacles” aren’t just a literal problem on boats and buoys, they’re a metaphor for outdated systems and thinking that slow progress down over time. Much like real barnacles, these barriers accumulate quietly: outdated procurement rules, inflexible data policies, siloed government agencies, and hardware standards that haven’t been revised in a decade.
Say you’ve designed a smart buoy that collects wave, weather, and acoustic data in real time. Getting it into the water should be simple, right? But before you deploy, you might need:
- Approval from a national maritime authority
- Coordination with local fisheries
- Sign-off from environmental regulators
- Radio frequency licensing
- And, in many places, a local partner just to translate the paperwork
Each step takes time—and sometimes months. Worse, the requirements often contradict each other, or vary wildly by jurisdiction. These legacy systems weren’t built for speed. They were built to reduce risk. But in the process, they often crush momentum.
Bureaucracy by Design
Let’s be honest: not all bureaucracy is bad. Regulations are necessary. We’re working in shared, fragile ecosystems, and oversight ensures safety, transparency, and ecological stewardship. But what I’ve learned is that bureaucracy becomes a barrier when it stops serving the mission and starts serving itself.
In many cases, the problem isn’t that regulators don’t care, it’s that they’re under-resourced, over-tasked, and stuck in systems that don’t allow for nuance or urgency. A permit that should take two weeks can take six months because it has to pass through five desks in three departments.
And when you’re working on ocean tech where seasonality, tides, and even whale migrations dictate your timeline, waiting for the rubber stamp can mean missing the entire window to do your work.
Mark Andrew Kozlowski, who has worked on marine hardware and user experience design in coastal communities, puts it this way: “We can build faster than we can deploy. The technology is there. The bottleneck is almost always paperwork.”
Global Politics, Local Tensions
The blue economy also operates across borders, and that introduces another level of complexity. International waters, Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), and shifting geopolitical alliances all play a role in whether your tech can be tested, sold, or even discussed in certain markets.
You may find that your startup’s sensor array is classified as “dual-use” technology, subject to export controls. Or that working in a coastal community requires not just national government approval, but negotiation with local councils, tribal leaders, or port authorities.
Sometimes, even good intentions backfire. I’ve seen well-funded Western companies show up with ocean tech “solutions” that ignored local knowledge or cultural protocols, only to be shut out or protested against, rightfully so.
Successful innovators in the blue economy have to act as translators, not just of language, but of values, expectations, and historical context. It’s not just about what we build, it’s about who we include and how we listen.
The Innovation Paradox
Ironically, many of the people and institutions that champion marine innovation are also the ones who unknowingly slow it down. Governments offer grants, launch accelerator programs, and host blue economy conferences but they also require tech pilots to go through slow-moving procurement systems designed for office furniture, not dynamic data systems.
This creates a frustrating paradox. There’s energy and funding to innovate, but no clear path to implementation. Startups burn out trying to meet requirements that shift mid-process. Researchers sit on prototypes because they can’t get site access. Local leaders want better coastal data, but can’t get equipment approved before the next storm season hits.
We need systems that match the urgency of the problems we’re trying to solve.
So What Do We Do?
Here are a few things I’ve learned that help, even in slow-moving systems:
1. Build Relationships Before Solutions
Know who the gatekeepers are. Treat regulators, port authorities, and coastal leaders as collaborators, not hurdles. Invite them into the process early.
2. Design for Flexibility
The ocean changes. So will your deployment schedule. Build your hardware, software, and timelines with adaptability in mind.
3. Create “Bridge Tools”
Sometimes the breakthrough isn’t your core tech, it’s the small tool that helps stakeholders understand what your tech does. That could be a dashboard, a scaled-down demo, or even a simple animation.
4. Celebrate Slow Wins
A permit approved. A trial site secured. A meeting that turned into a partnership. These steps matter. And they create the foundation for long-term momentum.
5. Push for Policy Innovation
Some barriers won’t change unless we change the system. That means showing up to policy forums, speaking at public consultations, and helping design faster, more flexible approval pathways.
Navigating Forward
Working in the blue economy is not for the impatient. It’s a space full of hope, full of brilliance, and yes, full of barnacles. But I believe the real innovators are the ones who keep showing up. Who learn the tides of the system as well as the sea. Who recognize that breakthroughs come not just from invention, but from persistence.
It’s not easy. But then again, nothing worth doing ever is.
And if we want a healthier ocean and a more just, sustainable future, we have to do the work, not just in labs and makerspaces, but in boardrooms, council meetings, and community halls.
Because in the end, real progress in the blue economy doesn’t just come from building new tech.
It comes from clearing the path so that tech can serve people and the planet better.