Harnessing the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth and improved livelihoods
Mississippi is fortunate to be located on coastal waters where the blue economy is thriving and benefitting the whole state. The University of Southern Mississippi recently hosted a day of TEDX presentations based on this premise. Topics covered were innovation, sustainable growth, workforce development, coastal resilience and ocean stewardship.
Courtney Taylor, PhD., Executive Director of AccelerateMS Office of Workforce Development, was one of the speakers.
“The Blue Economy makes most other industries possible,” she said. “Without ports, there’s limited trade. Without water, there’s no agriculture. Without aquifers, there’s no industry. Without subsea fiber cables, there’s no internet, thus no AI.
“The Blue Economy is surging and includes everything from ports, shipbuilding, and tourism, to mapping the sea floor and farming marine compounds. However, the workforce necessary for the surge is dangerously under built.”
Taylor points out the need for more electricians, plumbers, pipe fitters, HVAC Techs, heavy equipment operators, and engineers than the state can currently produce.
“Our education funding models do not prioritize what we need more of, but instead what we can easily produce,” she said. “They’re not aligned to industry demand. To build a model workforce development system, we must challenge everything we think we know.
“We need to use the complexities of the world to remodel our system so it can be rewarded for producing more of what is needed instead of more of…just anything.”
Gulf Blue Navigator graduates are developing technologies that address critical challenges, coastal resilience, sustainable fisheries, and national defense, according to Natalie Guess, assistant director, Innovation and Impact, Office of Innovation Management, University of Southern Mississippi.
“These companies are launching new ventures, creating jobs, and forming partnerships that have made Mississippi a recognized hub for ocean innovation and proof that big ideas out of the blue are making waves across the Coast and beyond,” she said.
One of those companies is Ocean Aero, manufacturer of Triton, an autonomous vehicle that sails and drives itself then transforms into a submarine and goes underwater. The company opened in 2023 at the State Port in Gulfport.
“We have now deployed Tritons on customer missions in 18 countries,” said CEO Kevin Decker. “We have 75 full-time employees and another 75 1099s and retainer employees. We are working with several of the world’s largest international oil companies, including some of the largest pipelines in the world where Tritons patrol regular subsea inspections.”
Users of the Triton are in defense, research and energy. The Triton is built to be versatile and to handle a range of missions across a number of industries. And, it’s the world’s only such vehicle.
“Ocean Aero has a full range of commercial and military payload packages from which customers can choose to deploy on Tritons. Dozens of packages are now made for submarine depth down to 100 meters,” said Decker. “We have been awarded our own IDIQ contract vehicle from the U.S. Navy.”
Guess said there are 17 Cohort Graduates Startups completing Gulf Blue Navigator’s four-month program. The global reach includes 15 U.S. and one startup each from the U.K. and Singapore. Twelve new companies registered in Mississippi to expand Mississippi’s blue economy network with 32 collaborations and partnerships industry, research, and government partners working together. “We have been working heavily with the Australian delegation and they will be in Mississippi in December.”
Gulf Blue is connecting Mississippi to global ocean tech hubs with 15 demonstrations across the Coast showcasing new technologies from Gulfport to Pascagoula.
At Port Bienville in Hancock County, Spaceport, a Virginia-based company producing sea-based launch facilities, is an example of the growing blue economy. This company is changing the way rockets are launched and reenter the earth. A contract with the Department of Defense was signed to demonstrate sea-based launch facilities, according to on-site Operations Coordinator Jenna Ringer.
“Our team and capabilities are growing rapidly,” said Ringer. “We’re making strong progress in scaling up our infrastructure and operations to support offshore launch capabilities. We have an ongoing demand from a variety of DOD stakeholders.”
AccelerateMS’s Taylor said, “To make our state irresistible to investment, we need to continue the wins we’ve had with fourth grade reading and math scores, elevating our regional workforce rankings from sixth in 2023 to third this year.
“To get where we need to go, we must invest in high-value workforce pathways and drive our students to succeed in high-impact careers that most can’t see due to the nature of where these careers live.”
She advocates for simplifying the pathways available to k-12 students and ensuring they’re aligned to high-value employer demand. “We need to push engagement with quality careers down into the sixth grade and encourage more work-based learning for eleventh grade and beyond.”
That push, said Taylor, would need to incorporate more non-credit training directly into high schools to provide quality pathways into high-value careers for every student, not just those with the required GPAs and networks.
“We must metric our systems to produce what we need more of. We must, as a state, embrace AI and technology in every role, in every education program,” she said. “None of these as separate pathways. We must pay attention to the delicate nature of the blue economy’s needs as they drive so much of our ability to produce as a state.”