The 4th East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress, co-organized by the Government of RO Korea through the Ministry of Land Transport and Maritime Affairs, the City Government of Changwon, RO Korea and the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), was held at the Changwon Exhibition and Convention Center (CECO) in Changwon City, RO Korea from 9-13 July 2012. Carrying the theme "Building a Blue Economy: Strategy, Opportunities, and Partnerships in the Seas of East Asia," the EAS Congress 2012 provided participants with the prospect of identifying contributions, progress and achievements in the governance of regional/sub-regional seas within the framework of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDS-SEA), as well as new opportunities for strengthening partnerships, which are essential in realizing the full potential of the ocean economy of East Asia. The workshop on "Monitoring, Reporting and Forecasting: Applications, Benefits, and on-the-ground Applications" was one of the workshops under the subtheme on Accelerating Blue Innovations in Support of an Ocean-based Blue Economy. The workshop was co-convened by the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) and the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), formerly the Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI). This publication summarizes the outcome of the workshop.

This publication summarizes the results of the workshop on New Directions and Initiatives for Coastal and Ocean Governance at the Global, Regional and National Levels held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2012. The workshop aims to: (a) highlight the outcomes of Rio+20 and initiatives related to the coastal and ocean governance and discuss their implications with respect to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for the Seas of East Asia (SDSSEA); (b) look at how national policies are mainstreamed and how the government directs investment toward the marine economy; (c) identify new initiatives in developing marine policies, strategy and practices and implementation of new initiatives for an ocean-based blue economy; and (d) discuss how national IOCM could be effectively applied to address/enhance new emerging issues such as an ocean-based blue economy.

This publication summarizes the results of the workshop on Safeguarding Ocean-based Blue Economy through Innovative Solutions to Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2012. The workshop explored sound methodologies and good practices in climate change vulnerability assessment as well as adaptation to climate change and disaster risk reduction, which are designed to enhance the resiliency of the coastal and ocean sector.

This publication summarizes the results of the workshop on Green Ports: Gateway to a Blue Economy held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2012. The workshop highlighted new initiatives by international and regional organizations, port authorities and port operators to implement safety, health and environmental programs/controls in the port to support the adoption of relevant convention, codes and standards for safety, health and environment. Current initiatives of the ports in the region, in particular, those that have developed and implemented Port, Safety, Health and Environmental Management System (PSHEMS), were likewise examined taking into consideration their overall role as gateways to a Blue Economy.

This publication summarizes the results of the the Fourth Ministerial Forum on the Sustainable Development of the Seas of East Asia held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2012. The 4th Ministerial Forum on the Sustainable Development of the Seas of East Asia, the culminating event of the East Asian Seas (EAS) Congress 2012, in Changwon City, Republic of Korea, on the theme "Building a Blue Economy: Strategy, Opportunities and Partnerships in the Seas of East Asia," was held on 12 July 2012. Participating in the forum were 11 Ministers from the Seas of East Asia countries and observers from among the PEMSEA Non-Country Partners, together with PEMSEA's East Asian Seas Partnership Council Executive Committee, representatives from PEMSEA’s sponsoring agencies, the GEF, UNDP and the World Bank, and other observers from the local governments and the private sector.

This publication summarizes the results of the workshop on the Future of the Maritime Transport in a Blue Economy held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2012. The various workshops highlighted and discussed the work of IMO and other international organizations, national and local government units and the private sector on their efforts in reducing the impacts of pollution caused by sea transportation and oil production including initiatives in enhancing capacities for oil spill preparedness and response at the regional, national and local level, specifically on the following: Global Regulatory Framework Toward Green Shipping IMO's Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP) Ballast Water Control and Management Climate Change and Offshore Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Current Trends, Issues and Research and Development (R&D) Requirements in Oil Spill Response IMO-IPIECA Global Initiative (GI) in Southeast Asia Lessons Learned from Recent Oil Spill Incidents (Macondo Blowout and Hebei Spirit) Regional Arrangements on Oil Spill Preparedness and Response Developments in the Compensation Regime for Oil and Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) Incidents Case Study on Oil Removal Operation from Sunken Kyungshin Building Capacities for Oil Spill Preparedness and Response at the Local Level HNS Preparedness and Response

This publication summarizes the results of the Special Workshop on PSHEMS Governance Process held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2012. The workshop on PSHEMS Governance Process was convened to discuss the governance mechanism and processes for the operationalization of the Port Safety, Health and Environmental Management System (PSHEMS).

This publication summarizes the results of the workshop on Enabling an Ocean-based Blue Economy at the Local Level through Innovative Technologies and Applications held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2012. The workshop was able to present examples of innovative technologies and approaches for maintaining and restoring ecosystem services and integration of the technologies into government programs through development plans and master plans. The discussions also highlighted the importance of using science in a meaningful way to guide local management decisions and actions for the protection of ecosystem services, developing the social capital, ensuring involvement of people, knowledge-sharing and learning from good practices as well as failures.

This publication summarizes the results of the workshop on Using ICM as a Tool to Achieve Aichi Targets held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2012. The workshop explored good practices from country case studies on the use of marine protected areas (MPAs), integrated coastal management (ICM) and other approaches to address biodiversity loss, reduce pressures, improve the status and enhance benefits of coastal and marine biodiversity and ecosystem services to contribute to the achievement of the Aichi targets as embodied in the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity (2011–2020) of the Convention on Biological Diversity.