Fórum Oceano General Assembly signals a new phase of strategic ambition

April 8, 2026

At its General Assembly held on 7 April at the Port of Lisbon Auditorium, in the Rocha Conde de Óbidos Maritime Terminal, Lisbon, Fórum Oceano approved the 2025 Activity Report and Financial Statements, the 2026 Activity Plan and Budget, and the election of its Strategic Council.

Speaking on behalf of the General Assembly Board were Carlos Costa Pina, President of Fórum Oceano, and Ruben Eiras, Secretary-General of Fórum Oceano. The President presented items 1 and 2 on the agenda, concerning the approval of the 2025 Activity Report and Financial Statements and the approval of the 2026 Activity Plan and Budget.

Growing membership base and stronger activity

The results presented at the session highlighted Fórum Oceano’s continued growth and consolidation. In 2025, the Association recorded a 9% increase in its membership base, in line with its goal of reaching 200 members.

During the same period, turnover rose by 42%, reflecting the expansion of the Association’s activities and its stronger capacity to generate value.

Stronger financial position

On the financial front, Fórum Oceano also reported indicators pointing to greater institutional resilience. Operating net income was around four times higher than in 2024, while liquidity reached a level approximately 1.8 times higher than in the previous year.

As underlined during the General Assembly, this performance made it possible to create a reserve fund, to be further strengthened in the coming years, ensuring the Association’s financial sustainability in a context of heightened risk.

Six clear objectives for 2026

With the approval of the 2026 budget and activity plan, Fórum Oceano now enters a new phase with six clearly defined strategic objectives.

Priorities for the coming year include accelerating the Association’s growth beyond 200 members, strengthening the executive team’s presence and proximity to members across the country, expanding Fórum Oceano’s capacity to act, and consolidating its position as a leading stakeholder in the sector.

The 2026 agenda also includes deepening internationalisation and turning recent efforts to build an external network into concrete outcomes, strengthening financial discipline and capacity to ensure organisational resilience, launching the strategic debate around the “Fórum Oceano 2035” vision, and improving the quality of the Association’s communications through more technically robust content and a clearer focus on its implications for the competitiveness of the Ocean Cluster.

Election of the Strategic Council

The General Assembly also approved the election of the Strategic Council, the body that will support the definition of a long-term roadmap for the blue economy, based on broad participation from the membership and on strengthening Fórum Oceano’s capacity for strategic reflection.

The new Strategic Council is composed of António Nogueira Leite, who will serve as Chair, António Patrocínio Vidigal as Vice-Chair, and Bernardo Vitorino Sousa Braga Queiroz, Christina Deligianni, João Tasso, Jorge Manuel Jacob Silva Carvalho, Miguel Miranda, Maria João da Anunciação Franco Bebianno, Maria Luz Paramio Martín, Natércia Marília Magalhães Rêgo Cabral, Vítor Vasconcelos, Francisco Saraiva Gomes and Pedro Castelão de Almeida Sousa Matias.

New members introduced at the General Assembly

The session also included the presentation of new members, who were formally welcomed by Fórum Oceano. The new members presented were Agovi Metalomecânica, ALFA BIS, AmpliAqua, ARDITI, BlueCoop, Bluetides, Comunidade Intermunicipal do Alto Minho (CIM Alto Minho), CLS Group (Collecte Localisation Satellites), FI Group, FOSSA Systems, Hertel AI & Robotics, INOVA+, KEMIWATT, MobyFly | Zero-Emission Hydrofoil Boats, Município de Carregal do Sal, Nortech AI, OSK Design, PRIO, S2AQUAcoLAB, Serviços de Ventos Oceânicos Offshore, S.A. (an affiliate of OW Ocean Winds in Portugal), STET, SA, The Stone Soup Leadership Institute, TogetherForTheBetterGood and Vera Navis.

A new phase of institutional strengthening

With the approval of the 2025 accounts, the 2026 budget and the election of the Strategic Council, Fórum Oceano reinforces its trajectory of growth, institutional consolidation and strategic ambition.

The Association enters 2026 with an expanding membership base, stronger financial indicators and an agenda focused on increasing the competitiveness, influence, and national and international profile of the Ocean Cluster.