Marine Economy Report 2025: Market Insights and Innovations

Iryna Bursuk

December 30, 2024

The marine economy is driven by emerging trends like deep sea mining, underwater drones, and marine energy. Top startups are further working on developing low-carbon fuel, mapping technologies, and maintenance copilot. Read along the report to find more about investments, job market, patents, and grants supporting the innovations.

The Marine Economy Report 2025 covers the impact of major trends like deep sea mining, underwater drones, and marine energy on the blue economy. Researchers are currently working on developing clean energy and propulsion methods, which are scalable and suitable for a wide range of applications.

Artificial intelligence and data analytics further assist in route optimization, autonomous navigation, and predictive maintenance of marine vehicles. The report consolidates all essential data about the current market status, investment pattern, workforce dynamics, and startup culture.

Executive Summary: Marine Economy Market Report 2025

  • Industry Growth Overview: The yearly growth rate of the marine economy sector is 0.37%. There are 13 200+ companies and 190+ startups in the sector. The market is set to reach USD 147.9 billion by 2032.
  • Manpower and Employment Growth: The current employment in the ocean economy is 1.6 million and 62 200 more professionals joined the workforce last year.
  • Patents and Grants: More than 3400 applicants filed 62 200+ patents. Additionally, companies in the marine economy domain received 2200+ grants.
  • Global Footprint: Top countries with maximum companies in the blue economy are the United States, the United Kingdom, India, Canada, and Norway. The top cities include Singapore, Dubai, Houston, Mumbai, and London.
  • Investment Landscape: Our database records 4300+ funding rounds which supported 1300+ companies. Each funding round raised an average of USD 47 million.
  • Top Investors: Prominent investors like Ratos, Al Seer Marine, Entrust Global, and more contributed over USD 5 billion to marine economy development.
  • Startup Ecosystem: Top startups like Alder Renewables (low carbon marine fuel), CORSphere (AI-powered maintenance co-pilot), InX Tech (autonomous underwater vehicle), DeepSea Numerical (biodiversity mapping platform), and SeaCras (satellite marine surveillance) represent areas where current developments are happening.

 

Marine Economy Report 2025 | StartUs Insights

 

What Data is Used to Create This Marine Economy Market Report?

Based on the data provided by our Discovery Platform, we observe that the marine economy ranks among the top 5% in the following categories relative to all 20K topics in our database.

These categories provide a comprehensive overview of the market’s key metrics and inform the short-term future direction of the market.

  • News Coverage & Publications: In the last year, trade journals, newspapers, and magazines covered more than 1300 articles regarding the marine economy.
  • Funding Rounds: Our database records more than 4300 successfully conducted fundraising rounds.
  • Manpower: More than 1.6 million people work in the marine economy worldwide, and 62 200 more new positions were created in the past 12 months.
  • Patents: Companies in the marine economy filed over 62 200 patents.
  • Grants: The companies in this sector received more than 2200 grants, which shows support from the government in its development.

Methodology: How We Created This Marine Economy Report

This report is based on proprietary data from our AI-powered Startus Insights Discovery Platform, which tracks 25 million companies and 20 000 technologies and trends globally, including detailed insights on approximately 5 million startups, scaleups, and tech companies. Leveraging this extensive database, we provide actionable insights on emerging technologies and market trends.

For this report, we focused on the evolution of the marine economy over the past 5 years, utilizing our platform’s trend intelligence feature. Key data points analyzed include:

  • Total Companies working on the trend
  • News Coverage and Annual Growth
  • Market Maturity and Patents
  • Global Search Volume & Growth
  • Funding Activity and Top Countries
  • Subtrends within the marine economy sector

Our data is refreshed regularly, enabling trend comparisons for deeper insights into their relative impact and importance.

Additionally, we reviewed external resources to supplement our findings with broader market data and predictions, ensuring a reliable and comprehensive overview of the marine economy market.

Explore the Data-driven Marine Economy Market Report for 2025

According to the Discovery Platform, there are 13 200+ companies and 190+ startups in the marine economy sector. The domain grew by 0.37% in the last year. With more than 62 200 patents filed by the companies in this sector and 2200+ grants given to them, ongoing innovation is still a top priority.

The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of marine electronics in the Asia Pacific region is set to grow by 6.5% between 2024 and 2030.

1.6 million people worldwide are employed in the ocean economy companies and 62 200+ new positions were added in the past year. This increase in the workforce is a sign of the domain’s continued growth and prospects.

The leading nations with maximum contribution to the marine economy are the United States, United Kingdom, India, Canada, and Norway. The main city centers supporting the marine economy are Singapore, Dubai, Houston, Mumbai, and London.

A Snapshot of the Global Marine Economy Market

The ocean economy is expanding at an annual rate of 0.37%. There are 190+ operating startups in the field and 340+ more in the early stage. The number of merged and acquired companies in this sector is 920+.

In 2021, USA marine economy contributed 7.4% to GDP growth and 10.5% to sales.

 

Marine Economy Report 2025 | StartUs Insights

 

Moreover, 3400+ applicants filed 62 200+ patents, which demonstrate the suitable landscape for more development. Patent activity is increasing at an annual rate of 8.5%.
China is the top patent issuer in this field, with 37 750+ patents. South Korea comes second with 6100+ patents.

Explore the Funding Landscape of the Marine Economy Market

Companies in the marine economy raised an average amount of USD 47 million per funding round with more than 2900 investors participating in them. Further, 1300+ companies benefited from more than 4300 funding rounds conducted by the companies in the marine economy. The number of funding rounds and participating investors signal the diversity of investment areas available in the marine economy sector.

Who is Investing in the Marine Economy Market?

The top investors in the sector contributed USD 5.4 billion.

Marine Economy Report 2025 | StartUs Insights

 

  • Ratos invested USD 959.8 million in at least one company.
  • Al Seer Marine contributed USD 550 million to at least one company. It made a cornerstone investment of AED 257 million into global maritime logistics company ADNOC Logistics & Services PLC.
  • EnTrust Global spent USD 544 million on two companies. Its own maritime holding company Purus Marine partnered with Damen Shipyards Group to fund marine energy transition projects.
  • Africa Oil Corp invested USD 519.5 million in at least one company.
  • Goldman Sachs contributed USD 500 million to one company. It also made a bid for USD 600 million for Froy, a Norwegian aquaculture service company.
  • CD&R spent USD 500 million on at least one company.
  • Cooke Aquaculture contributed USD 500 million across four companies. It acquired an Australian company Tassal Group in 2022 for over USD 1 billion.
  • Nordea contributed USD 464.9 million across five companies.
  • Bakkafrost spent USD 440.3 million on at least one company. It acquired a majority stake in The Scottish Salmon Company in 2019.

Top Marine Economy Innovations & Trends with the Discovery Platform

Discover the emerging trends in the marine economy market along with their firmographic details:

 

Marine Economy Report 2025 | StartUs Insights

 

  • Deep Sea Mining is an emerging trend in the marine economy with 90+ companies working in this sector. It employs 3900+ workers currently and recruited 200+ professionals last year. The sector is growing at a rate of 52.3% every year. The digital twin technology is supporting this growth by improving the real-time monitoring and adaptive management capability of deep-sea mining.
  • Underwater Drones are major contributors to development in the marine economy sector. 150+ companies are developing underwater drones. Currently, 3000+ people are working in this domain and 200+ joined the workforce last year. This sector is growing at a rate of 19.54% per year. The drones are suitable for marine research, environmental monitoring, oceanographic studies, underwater infrastructure inspection, etc.
  • Marine Energy is a major source of marine income with an annual growth of 21.15%. Currently, there are 600+ companies in the field, which employ 84 400+ people. 3700+ professionals were further hired last year. Marine energy consists of tidal stream energy, wave energy, and more. It utilizes emerging technologies like hydrovoltaic generators and ion-selective hydrogel film for sustainable fuel generation using marine energy.

5 Top Examples from 190+ Innovative Marine Economy Startups

The five innovative startups showcased below are picked based on data including the trend they operate within and their relevance, founding year, funding status, and more. Book a demo to find promising startups, emerging trends, or industry data specific to your company’s needs and objectives.

Alder Renewables produces Low Carbon Marine Fuel

US-based startup Alder Renewables produces replacements for fossil-based products with proprietary technology. It converts sustainable biomass to low carbon, and then to carbon-negative Alder renewable crude (ARC).

The process starts by converting biomass like woody residues, agricultural byproducts, and miscanthus to unstable pyrolysis oil. Then, the Alder proprietary technology converts the pyrolysis oil to unstable crude.

The crude is further converted to low-carbon or carbon-negative, stable, and sustainable marine fuels. It contains all the fundamental properties of the fossil-based product it replaces. The technology is commercially and technologically scalable and integrates with existing infrastructure.

The fuel is also suitable as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), transportation fuel, and other renewable chemicals.

CORSphere develops AI-powered Maintenance Co-Pilot

Canadian startup CORSphere builds a condition-based monitoring (CBM) system using artificial intelligence (AI). The system ensures the military and navy stay vigilant about their maintenance, logistics, and operations.

It provides data preparation, secure AI deployment, and AI testing. The system connects with IoT, integrated systems, and business intelligence data to produce the required results. The AI contains a dynamic data ingestion pipeline that assists in anomaly detection for integrated systems, connected via IoT.

The human-machine testing (HMT) interface further translates real-time insights into actionable decisions. The solution is suitable for industrial and marine enterprises, small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), defense prime contractors, subcontractors, and government agencies.

InX Tech builds Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

UK-based startup InX Tech builds autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV). The AUVs use hydrogen fuel to ensure zero emissions. The onboard fuel cell battery further ensures continuous, hybrid power for low demands and dynamic usage.

The time required for refueling is short, which ensures easy operation and lower maintenance. The buoyancy engine utilizes the draw-and-expulsion of seawater to propel the vehicle. The gliding technology ensures the AUV stays on water longer by drawing minimal power and ensuring more energy is available for the sensor suite.

The vehicles are suitable for offshore renewable industry, hydrography, and oceanography. Major applications of the AUV include environmental monitoring, security and surveillance, exploration and mapping, surveying, and more.

DeepSea Numerical designs Biodiversity Mapping Platform

Spanish startup DeepSea Numerical designs a platform used for accelerated analytics, biodiversity mapping, and big data solutions for the sea. The cloud-based analytics platform provides real-time monitoring and instant prediction of contamination sources. It uses dynamic modeling, statistical analysis, and machine learning for seafloor detection, monitoring, and alerts.

The platform records the changes in biodiversity and bathymetry and aggregates the data for further analysis. Researchers, authorities, and environmental organizations use these sea data for numerical evaluation of the degradation of endangered and degraded zones.

SeaCras provides Environmental and Coastal Surveillance Solutions

Croatian startup SeaCras provides AI-powered surveillance solutions for coasts. The solutions derive coastal intelligence data, evaluate marine key metrics, and deliver continuous data. The satellite-based oceanographic solution offers surveillance of open seas, coastal waters, remote areas, and urban areas.

It provides integrated surveillance, marine environmental monitoring, and ESG marine monitoring. It additionally detects pollution, and oceanography for territorial waters.

The SeaCrass Analytics app further minimizes environmental risks for the cruising industry and port operators. It supports the marine economy by optimizing coastal tourism, maritime transport, coastal urbanization, and the offshore/onshore energy sector.

Gain Comprehensive Insights into Marine Economy Trends, Startups, or Technologies

The marine economy is a growing sector with development happening in underwater innovations, onshore operations, and offshore functioning. Further, emerging trends like deep sea mining, underwater drones, and marine energy are accelerating marine research and developments.

Technologies like digital twins, artificial intelligence, IoT, and 3D mapping are additionally diversifying the applications and developments of the marine sector.

The 2025 marine economy market report underscores the sector’s important role in supporting organizations to navigate complex regulatory frameworks while driving innovation and efficiency. As global markets evolve, the adoption of advanced technologies and data-driven approaches has become essential in addressing marine economy challenges and adding resilience.

Get in touch to explore all 190+ startups and scaleups, as well as all market trends impacting 13 200+ companies.

 

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