In August 2026, Professor Ying Xie attended the Florida Ocean Alliance strategic meeting at Port Everglades, USA. Attendees included representatives from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), and the Office of Ocean Economy.

The annual strategy meeting focused on a range of important and timely topics, including the ocean economy, environmental permitting, coastal resilience, and other key challenges and opportunities facing the sector.

Ying shared the successes of the UK National Clean Maritime Research Hub, highlighting its research activities and achievements, partnerships with classification societies, regulators, and government authorities, contributions to policy development, and success in attracting match funding.

Professor Xie also provided strategic advice on how the Florida Ocean Alliance could strengthen its reach and influence at both state and federal levels, helping to support the growth of Florida’s ocean economy while protecting its marine and coastal ecosystems.

Following the meeting, Port Everglades arranged a port tour and dedicated discussions with Professor Xie to explore potential collaboration opportunities in shore power development for cruise vessels and the optimisation of truck scheduling for container collection at the port.

The Florida Ocean Alliance is a nonpartisan organisation founded in 1999. A key focus of the alliance is to raise awareness of ocean and coastal issues through outreach and education activities. To learn more please visit the FOA website.