Sea Tech Week 2024
A global focus on Ireland’s maritime expertise in Brest
Sea Tech Week is an annual international event held in Brest, France, which attracts some of the top experts on marine and maritime research, science and technology. This year, Ireland’s maritime expertise was at the fore of the events, which had a theme of maritime safety and security. Ireland was the country of honour this year, marking the first time in Sea Tech Week’s 20-plus year history that a European country received this recognition
Ireland's impact
A series of workshops with strong Irish involvement took place on topics such as collaboration in the blue economy; connected systems and AI; maritime transport decarbonisation; cybersecurity risks; and resilience at sea.
Enterprise Ireland led a workshop on seaport connectivity and Ireland’s offshore wind energy, with Irish companies outlining their solutions to ensure a low-carbon European future.
“The event was an excellent opportunity to showcase Irish offerings to France. Our clients are delighted, and significant contacts have been established. We look forward to seeing the connections made from Sea Tech Week develop into strong business partnerships between Irish and French companies to the benefit of both parties,” says a representative from Enterprise Ireland.
Sea Tech Week also featured a screening of a documentary charting the success of Tom Dolan, an Irish sailor based in Brittany. Dolan recently won the Solitaire de Figaro, and the film highlights our shared maritime traditions that go beyond scientific and research links.
Watch the trailer for ‘Around my island’, a documentary charting the success of Tom Dolan
Watch on Youtube
Opportunities for Irish businesses:
Representatives from Shannon Foynes Port, Port of Waterford, ESB Moneypoint, and the Irish Maritime Development Office were welcomed to the Port of Brest by representatives of the French national and Breton regional governments. Team Ireland was represented by Enterprise Ireland,the IDA and the Embassy of Ireland.
“Sea Tech Week was an extremely important event for Shannon Foynes Port Company and it was great to be invited to participate in this terrific event. There are long standing maritime links between France and the Shannon Estuary going back many hundreds of years, and as we look forward to our mutual potential and ambitions, we seek to work closely with our French counterparts to deliver solutions for the future,” says Jerry Hallissey, Head of Business Development at Shannon Foynes Port Company.
The success of the event was testament to the strong links that exist between Ireland and the region of Brittany, from our historic shared Celtic culture to our enduring people-to-people links and dedication to innovation and research. Ireland will continue close collaboration with France and our EU partners under the Atlantic Strategy, in particular building on France’s legacy as Chair of the Atlantic Strategy Committee.
Looking forward to 2025, the city of Cork will host the European Maritime Day, building on the legacy of Brest who hosted in 2023.
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