The special ocean color satellite HY-1 was in the orbit on May 15, 2002, whose main purpose is detection of marine environment of China Sea. On the satellite there are two sensors, the main load is optical sensor. One is the Chinese Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (COCTS), the other is CCD Coastal Zone Imager (CZI). The main technical system of optical remote sensing were developed both by Second Institute of Oceanography (SIO), State Oceanic Administration (SOA), in 1997 and by National Satellite Ocean Application Service (NSOAS) in 2002. Those systems include the functions of data receiving, processing, distribution, calibration, validation and application for different kinds of satellite, such as FY-1, HY-1, SeaWiFS, AVHRR and MODIS. The science and technology of marine optical remote sensing application progress with the rapid development of national space technology in China, especially with the carrying out of the National High Tech. Project 863.In the paper, three aspects of its advances are mainly introduced. First, a number of sets of marine biooptical in situ data which are water AOPs and IOPs, such as water leaving radiance, attenuation and up and down water radiance, are measured by investigation boats, and those in-situ data have been applied for HY-1A satellite orbit calibration and the atmospheric correction; Second, the neural network technique is used to inverse the chlorophyll a, and the slope of two optical channel reflectance is developed for more accuracy suspended material mapping and the optical data are tested to extract the marine chemical constituents, such as dissolved organic carbon; Third, the optical remote sensing products are applied for red tide detection, coastal water quality classification, oil spilling monitoring and fishery. Some beneficial suggestions about continuous development of science and technology of the marine optical remote sensing application are discussed in the paper.