New Bedford Ocean Cluster
The NBOC was formally established in the fall of 2017, with founding partners the New Bedford Port Authority and Spherical Analytics, an IoT technology firm. Thereafter, the NBOC formally became a member of the Iceland Ocean Cluster Network, which includes clusters in Portland, ME; Seattle, WA; Connecticut, Alaska, Norway and Iceland.
The NBOC has four pillars that reflect the blue economy in New Bedford:
Aquaculture
Commercial Fishing & Processing
Innovation & Technology
Offshore Renewable Energy
Mission & Vision
NBOC will work collaboratively with a range of private sector, public sector and academic partners to establish New Bedford as the leading ocean economy on the East Coast. The NBOC will:
1. Create a New Bedford maritime business network by serving both as a clearinghouse for business-to-business interaction and the leading convener of the maritime businesses, leveraging the networks, the port’s unique infrastructure and maritime know-how to attract investment and support the formation and growth of ocean economy businesses.
2. Make the Port of New Bedford the first port of call of the offshore wind industry in the United States
3. Become the model for other ports to facilitate commercial collaboration between port industries and companies
4. Develop strategies to create more value for our community from our natural ocean resources including fish, wind and aquaculture
