Panoramic view of La Paz, Baja California, Mexico, where the Norwegian-flagged sailing ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl will dock on Monday.
Photo: Adobe Stock.
The One Ocean Expedition (OOE) 2025-2026, a 12-month circumnavigation aboard Norway's Statsraad Lehmkuhl to promote ocean sustainability, stops in La Paz, Baja California, Mexico, the day after tomorrow.
The current leg, which departed from San Diego, U.S., on the 16th and will arrive in La Paz on Monday, November 25, for a two-day stay, will spotlight the need to accelerate transformative ocean solutions and highlight the trilateral collaboration between Norway, Mexico, and the United States.
The ship, which combines training in navigation, ocean science, education, and diplomacy to inspire action toward a sustainable ocean, serves as a floating ambassador for the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).
The OOE arrives in La Paz championed by Mexico and Norway, but mostly, convened by Innovaciones Alumbra (iAlumbra). Founded by Christy Walton -who is also founder of the impact investment fund Cuna del Mar, which promotes generative and regenerative aquaculture- iAlumbra promotes regenerative models of economic growth that restore nature, honor community, and promote health and prosperity.
With a particular focus on the Gulf of California, the stopover in La Paz will highlight regenerative solutions that are not only essential for biodiversity and climate resilience, but also vital for the prosperity and well-being of coastal communities.
"The OOE will serve as a high-level convening platform, bringing together the Norwegian, Mexican, and United States governments, alongside embassies, policymakers, scientists, entrepreneurs, and community leaders, to advance ocean vitality as a global sustainable development priority," Innovaciones Alumbra said in a statement.
"iAlumbra will be facilitating cross-sector collaboration at the intersection of land and sea to promote partnerships that advance economic and climate resilience," it added.
A key strategic objective during the One Ocean Expedition's stopover in La Paz is to forge a permanent trilateral policy axis focused on maritime decarbonization, regenerative aquaculture, and ocean governance.
To this end, iAlumbra, Mexico, and Norway have organized a series of events that, over two days—November 24 and 25—will explore topics related to science, politics, and community participation with the aim of showing how the need for regenerative solutions can unite innovation, culture, and collaboration across borders and continents.
The program for the first day, Monday, November 24, 2025, will begin with an official reception and a tour of the Santomar hatchery. A pioneer in regenerative aquaculture that contributes to the revitalization of the totoaba in the Gulf of California, Santomar is one of the companies included in the portfolio of Cuna del Mar, itself a subsidiary of iAlumbra.
Afterwards, following an official lunch where ocean diplomacy, scientific cooperation, and investment opportunities in the blue economy will be discussed, two panels will be held. The first, entitled 'Green Shipping and Green Ports Panel - Dialogue on Innovation, Sustainability, and Implementation', and the second, 'Regenerative Aquaculture Panel – Scaling Innovation for Ecosystem Restoration and Sustainable Growth'.
The first day will close with what has been called the 'Ocean Reception', which will focus on the Once Ocean Decade and the work done by the governments of Norway and Mexico to advance commitments and foster bilateral cooperation, as well as the launch of the Center for Applied Innovation in Aquaculture (CAAI) in La Paz, a global center that promotes applied research and technological advances that make regenerative aquaculture scalable and accessible.
The program for the second day, Tuesday, November 25, will be a little shorter. It will begin with a series of school visits, during which students from local public schools will have the opportunity to tour the Statsraad Lehmkuhl to learn more about marine ecosystems.
Next, as on the previous day, attendees will have the opportunity to participate in two panels. The first, entitled 'From Desert to Sea Panel - Water, Science, and Resilience in the Gulf of California', and the second, 'Launch of the Gulf of California Platform Panel - Integrating Knowledge, Action, and Finance for Ocean Health'.
Ultimately, this stage of the OOE aims to reflect Innovaciones Alumbra's theory of change: to demonstrate what is possible, forge connections, build capacity, and bring together the public and private sectors with a common purpose.