On December 1-3, 2011, Moscow's Crocus Expo international exhibition centre hosted the first World Ocean 2011 international exhibition dedicated to the ship-building industry, and the study and use of marine resources.

In all, 140 participants from 13 countries, including representatives of state agencies, leading scientists and researchers, and Russian and foreign companies visited the exhibition. On December 1, 2011, Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov attended its opening ceremony.

Those involved in the Russian Academy of Sciences' permanent expedition also took part in the World Ocean 2011 exhibition, on the recommendation of the Russian Geographical Society. The Russian Academy of Sciences' exhibition also featured a display by the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution. Various marine programmes, including those for the White Whale, the Polar Bear, the Amur Tiger, the Snow Leopard were well represented. A separate stand focused on the aerial and satellite tracking of marine mammals.

Visitors were captivated by several aspects of the exhibition's unusual design and lay-out: the fact that the floor was designed to resemble a seascape, the stand that simulated the work carried out by observers during aerial tracking of marine mammals, and the table shaped like the tail of a life-size beluga.

A large screen showed video footage about the work carried out by the expeditions. Visitors could see satellite collars for belugas, seals, grey whales and walruses, as well as those used for snow leopards, polar bears and wild boars.

Specialists from the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution participated in a detailed discussion of the efforts underway to study marine mammals and their biology, as well as fieldwork carried out by expeditions. These discussions took place in a friendly atmosphere. Visitors proved really interested in the satellite tracking methods used in the Institute's research projects. New scientific contacts were established, and talks about possible joint research projects took place.

In all, 32 events took place during the exhibition's three-day run, including an inter-departmental research conference focusing on ongoing activity and future prospects for work in Russia to study and exploit the resources of the world's oceans, organised by the Russian Academy of Sciences, a round table organised by the Skolkovo Foundation, and a conference of the Moscow Union of Oil Industrialists involving Russian and foreign scientists.

The World Ocean 2011 exhibition highlighted the main aspects of Russia's water resources, including river-going and sea-going shipping, the ship-building industry, support for high-seas crude oil production, the fisheries sector, aqua-culture, recreational aspects and environmental protection.