As part of constructing and mining their own block using DATUM, they also signaled readiness for activation of a soft fork.
They did this entirely independently of their pool.
OCEAN is designed such that miners can perform the full spectrum of mining, and actually take a direct role in coordinating network upgrades. That includes constructing their own block templates and deciding when, and whether, to signal.
OCEAN takes that one step further by reducing the pool’s role even more. Through DATUM, miners construct their own templates and embed their own signal directly in the blocks they mine. Further still - any blocks they find get broadcast directly to the network without needing to pass through a middle man.
Fork proposals are part of Bitcoin’s maturation. We encourage miners to study BIP-110, form their own view, and signal accordingly.