Image: Old Neptune Court © National Maritime Museum, London
The National Maritime Museum’s central space reopens 7 June featuring the Spilhaus Projection map and new exhibits showing human impact on ocean environments
The National Maritime Museum will reopen Ocean Court, the central area under its glass roof, on Saturday 7 June to coincide with World Ocean Day.
The central space will feature a new floor map using the Spilhaus Projection, described as “a map of the world according to fish,” which focuses on the ocean rather than continents.
Ocean Court closed in March 2024 for refurbishment of the 25-year-old roof. More than 23,000 square feet of sun-protected glazing has been installed over the central courtyard of the Museum, preventing overheating in a warmer climate.
Ocean Court will display a fragment of the MV Sea Empress’s hull. The MV Sea Empress ran aground off Milford Haven in Wales on 15 February 1996, spilling over 70,000 tons of crude oil. It was estimated that a third of Common Scoter ducks died and the local population of starfish fell by 97.5%.
The binnacle from Greenpeace’s first ship, the Rainbow Warrior, will also be exhibited. The Rainbow Warrior was a trawler purchased by Greenpeace in 1978 and was bombed by French agents in Auckland Harbour on 10 July 1985, sinking the ship ahead of a protest against nuclear testing in Moruroa.
A new hand-painted mural designed by illustrator Yehrin Tong will be installed, depicting the movements of deep-sea currents through a wave pattern that builds as visitors move toward the new Ocean Map.
Aimee Mook, Lloyd’s Register Foundation, Curator of Contemporary Maritime, said ‘I am so excited for visitors to see our watery planet from a different perspective. The new map, exciting new mural and new objects will allow us to tell more of our ocean stories.’
The museum has scheduled events throughout summer, including the World Ocean Day Festival on 7 June, film screenings and object tours for Refugee Week (16-22 June), and Rhythm! – performances by dancers on 12 July.
The National Maritime Museum holds the world’s largest maritime collection and is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, which includes the Queen’s House, Royal Observatory Greenwich and the clipper ship Cutty Sark.
