Oceans cover approximately 70% of the Earth's surface and, with about 60% of the World's population living within 200 km of the coast, they have an untold impact on all of us. Not surprisingly, for people living close to the coast or those who depend on the ocean for their livelihood, regular forecasts of ocean conditions are just as important as traditional weather forecasts. Therefore, development of the infrastructure needed to support and sustain independent, European operational ocean forecasting, and the associated coastal and marine information services, are key priorities of the joint Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative by the European Commission and ESA.