Each April in Bergen, Norway, One Ocean Week operates as a forum to bring together stakeholders across the maritime industry to discuss ocean conservation and the future of sustainable shipping. In 2025, the conference lands in the U.S. for the first time, with Seattle, Washington, welcoming a diverse array of policymakers, businesses and researchers throughout the week of October 22-27.

Speaking during a panel on October 21, Washington State Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon highlighted what it is that makes the Evergreen State an ideal pick for One Ocean Week's U.S. debut, particularly as the federal government has withdrawn state-level hydrogen hub funding and rescinded tax credits for clean energy production.

"Washington is in an incredible position to lead the world in the transition to sustainable maritime fuels, because of our two major deepwater ports, our abundant farms and forests, our very clean and relatively affordable electricity, and our robust incumbent energy infrastructure," Fitzgibbon said. 

Hosting the week-long slate of panel discussions and events is Maritime Blue, a coalition that includes research institutes at the University of Washington and the Pacific Marine Energy Center among others, as well as the Northwest Seaport Alliance, Cruise Terminals of America, and dozens of companies in the energy and maritime spaces.

During the event, historic Norwegian tall ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl will be docked at Seattle's Pier 66, as part of its year-long journey to circumnavigate the globe and host a variety of workshops on ocean science and sustainability. The 100-year-old research vessel is touted as a "floating university," and has been retrofitted with state-of-the-art equipment that can take water samples, measure microplastics, and even use sound waves to study sea life.