Ocean development has conventionally been targeted at the exploitation of natural resources, however this trend is gradually changing: Ocean space has itself come to be regarded as a precious resource. Since problems associated with energy, food supply, and population will become even more crucial over the coming years, ocean space is being reevaluated as a means for providing solutions in many of these areas. The future prosperity of mankind will to a large measure be dependent on the manner in which the resources of the oceans are utilized. To develop ocean space effectively, international cooperation is essential since a global perspective is paramount. It is on this basis of cooperation and communication that the present symposium was organized, bringing together experts from all over the world to report current findings in ocean development and to consider areas of future research. The material covered here deals with all aspects of these areas which are now of such of vital importance.

Editor-in-chief: Wataru Kato