The effects of climate change on the ocean will have an impact on all economic activities at sea, including shipping, fishery, energy, coastal protection, sustainable environmental and ecosystem management, tourism and security. Therefore, there is a demand for timely delivery of high-quality operational oceanographic services and products to support planning over short and long timescales, as they are fundamental for safe performance of marine and maritime activities. Moreover, there is a critical need to inform society, ocean governance and decision making to support a future sustainable knowledge-based maritime economy. User needs for regular, near-real-time and quality-assured services require an operational approach across a wide range of societal benefit areas. This has triggered a new wave of marine knowledge innovation in order to fill the gaps and improve the quality and resolution of the services, e.g. seamless forecasting, an operational ecosystem approach and operational marine climate services.