14 Nov 2025

From Nigeria to Suriname: BGP Offshore and the IMarEST supporting the UN Ocean Decade

As part of our commitment to supporting the UN Ocean Decade, the IMarEST has developed a portfolio of decade-endorsed activities. IMarEST member, Daniella Bordon shares how an endorsed BGP Offshore initiative to upskill local marine professionals in Nigeria inspired a second in Suriname, this time focused on connecting the community with the ocean in Suriname. Both programmes were delivered in partnership with the IMarEST.

In 2024, BGP Oceans launched its first UN Ocean Decade–endorsed initiative in Nigeria, dedicated to training and empowering local professionals. Developed in collaboration with multiple partners, the initiative not only built local capacity but also created real opportunities, with trainees applying their new skills directly in offshore operations.

Supported by the IMarEST, the pioneering programme, aligned with Ocean Decade Challenge 9: “Skills, knowledge, technology and participation for all”, and focuses on strengthening national expertise and developing pathways for entry to offshore employment.

Empowering Nigeria demonstrated how collaboration between industry, professional institutions, and science can create lasting impact. This earlier programme equipped young professionals with technical skills and certifications to advance both conservation outcomes and offshore industry standards.

Building on this success, BGP Offshore launched World Ocean Week Suriname in June 2025. Co-organised by BGP Offshore and the Green Heritage Fund Suriname and endorsed as both a UN Ocean Decade activity and an official World Ocean Day event, the programme went beyond technical training to focus on ocean literacy, cultural connection and inclusive collaboration.

Suriname presented a different challenge. Its vast tropical forests, covering over 90% of the territory, have profoundly shaped the nation’s cultural identity. With only a few beaches along its 300 km coastline, Suriname’s history and traditions have been far more connected to the forest than to the sea. This initiative used education, knowledge and action to bring communities closer to the sea, helping to achieve UN Ocean Decade Challenge 10: “Change humanity’s relationship with the ocean”,

The programme did this through diverse activities, including expert talks, panels with international and local scientists, documentary screening, a photo exhibition, coastal clean-ups and a field excursion. Sessions covered marine mammal and turtle conservation, plastic pollution, traditional knowledge, ocean literacy, and the blue economy. By combining science with culture, art, storytelling and hands-on experiences, the event inspired communities to see the ocean as part of their shared future.

I was also delighted that the IMarEST’s UN Ocean Decade Ambassador, Niru Dorrian was able to contribute directly to the professional development programme, delivering the lecture “Navigating Professional Development in Marine Science: Building Skills for Success in the Blue Economy”. The session offered guidance on career pathways, professional recognition, and skills for success in the growing blue economy. It reinforced the IMarEST’s role in supporting the next generation of marine professionals and inspiring future ocean stewards to lead with science, compassion, and global collaboration.

The project also reflected three key priorities of the Ocean Decade:

Strengthening Partnerships and Building Capacity. By bringing together marine professionals, industry bodies and communities, the programme created connections that extend beyond the event. It supported professional growth through access to knowledge and expertise and contributed to a global network aligned with Ocean Decade goals.
Promoting Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity. Free and open to all, World Ocean Week Suriname created opportunities for students, young professionals and community members who might otherwise face barriers to entry. Dialogue encouraged local perspectives and knowledge, broadening participation in ocean stewardship.
Advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Both in Nigeria and Suriname, the initiatives advanced SDG 14 (Life Below Water) by supporting marine conservation and literacy. Through targeted capacity building and knowledge exchange, they strengthened professional capabilities and embedded sustainability priorities into future decision-making.

The IMarEST’s involvement ensured that an international and professional dimension was present throughout World Ocean Week Suriname. Alongside partners such as the Humpback Whale Institute (Brazil), Fundação Projeto TAMAR (Brazil), Counting Whales, Ecosur, the Amazon Conservation Team and many others, the collaboration highlighted the importance of international cooperation in advancing marine conservation and sustainable development. All made possible through Green Heritage Fund Suriname, a conservation organization making a difference in e country the for the last 20 years.

From Nigeria in 2024 to Suriname in 2025, the journey shows how professional bodies, like the IMarEST, play a vital role in supporting capacity building, ocean literacy and international collaboration. By working with initiatives such as BGP Oceans, we are not only strengthening local skills and knowledge but also helping to build the global connections needed for a sustainable and equitable ocean future.

As these projects show, when professional organisations, industry and communities work together, the ocean no longer feels distant. It becomes something we all share responsibility for today and for generations to come.