Subsea Expo 2022 makes welcome return to explore oceans of opportunity

When it opens its doors this month to welcome delegates from around the world, Subsea Expo 2022 will be sending out a strong signal that life and business activity are beginning to return to normal.

The event, organised by the Global Underwater Hub (GUH), which will take place at Aberdeen’s P&J Live from 22-24 February, will follow the theme of ‘Oceans of Opportunity’ focussing attention on, and raising awareness of, how the UK’s underwater engineering industry can capitalise on underwater opportunities in the global blue economy, set to grow from £50bn to £140bn by 2035.

More than a thousand delegates have already registered to attend the world’s largest subsea exhibition and conference and, with travel restrictions continuing to be lifted around the world, organisers expect that number to increase over the coming weeks.

Nearly 100 exhibitors have also confirmed they will be setting out their stalls and, with some limited capacity remaining, there is scope for that to increase.

Subsea Expo 2022 comes a full two years after more than 6,600 delegates attended the last event, one of the biggest attendances on record in the event’s 15 year history.

Coming as it did as the industry emerged from one of the most protracted oil and gas downturns, the mood was upbeat, with renewed optimism in oil and gas and increasing excitement in the opportunities arising from energy transition and the burgeoning blue economy.

Concluding just weeks before the world went into lockdown, no-one could have predicted what would follow and that the opportunity for those in the industry to get together again in person would be more than two years away. Plans to hold the event in 2021, first in February and then again in May, had to be postponed due to the restrictions in place as the pandemic continued to dominate every aspect of life.

Neil Gordon, Chief Executive of the GUH, says that the event comes at a pivotal time for the industry as it prepares for life post-pandemic.

“Subsea Expo 2022 will provide the platform for the industry to come together in person, to share their ideas and expertise, to showcase new technology and to engage with one another as we look towards an incredibly exciting time for the industry. Subsea Expo has always facilitated meaningful industry discussion, valuable connections and cross-sector collaboration. These are needed more now than ever before.

The way we have worked and conducted business over the past two years may have changed, but that doesn’t mean that things have stood still,” he said. “So much has happened in that time. Companies operating in the underwater arena have continued to innovate, demonstrating their expertise by developing world-leading technology and honing new skills which have maintained the UK industry’s position as a global leader. The pace of energy transition has picked up dramatically and most underwater companies are playing a vital role in that journey to net-zero.

If there is an upside to the pandemic it is the remarkable achievements of many companies in adapting or developing technologies in response to the restrictions, including, for example, the growth in digital and robotic technologies.

Mr Gordon said: “We will be hearing more about and celebrating some of the very best examples of companies and individuals who have been leading the activity in the UK’s £8billion pound underwater industry over the past year during the Subsea Expo awards which take place on February 23 as part of the event.”

As a new, strategic, intelligence-led organisation, promoting cross-sector collaboration, the GUH say providing this opportunity for representatives of all the sectors operating in the underwater industry to share ideas and innovation and to explore how they can work together is crucial.

This is underlined by the opening plenary session at Subsea Expo which will feature experts from the offshore energy, defence, marine renewable and aquaculture sectors who will highlight the opportunities available in these rapidly growing markets and how industry can capitalise on these.

Over the course of the conference, presenters from a range of sectors will also cover key industry topics including underwater solutions for the energy transition, autonomous solutions, marine science and sustainability and subsea technologies for offshore renewables.

“The oil and gas sector continues to be the biggest market for the underwater community, but offshore wind is a close second. Subsea Expo will also highlight the scale of opportunities across all the different sectors in multiple markets in the blue economy,” said Mr Gordon. “Fast-paced and highly competitive markets, they offer multi-billion pound opportunities in emerging sectors such as floating offshore wind, wave and tidal energy, CCUS and hydrogen and in more established but rapidly growing sectors such as fixed wind, aquaculture, oceanology and defence.”

Making sure that the UK underwater industry is in a position to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the blue economy and the green recovery was the main driving force behind Subsea UK’s transition into the GUH last year. The new, strategically-focused organisation aims to transform the industry, accelerate the transition to net-zero, creating new jobs and exports.

“With the GUH now fully operational, we can provide companies at Subsea Expo with market intelligence and insight to give visibility on the opportunity that will help firms develop clear routes to markets, helping them to make the right decisions about growing their business. As a new organisation with greater resources, we’ll be able to support more underwater businesses in going after the opportunities in the blue economy,” said Mr Gordon.

Working with the industry, the GUH will deliver significant export growth and attract new inward investment, promote cross-sector collaboration and innovation to develop solutions to underwater challenges, develop skills and capabilities to drive competitive advantage and support the growth of new and existing UK underwater businesses.

It will also provide access to the largest, crosssector underwater community in the world and offer commercially driven market intelligence, expertise, contacts and specialist support to accelerate business growth and build value in the UK’s underwater industry.

Entrance to the exhibition and conference is free of charge

Pre-registration is recommended via the website – www.subseaexpo.com For information on availability of exhibition space, contact events@theguh.co.uk