SUBSEA EXPO 2023 INTO THE BLUE

February will see the return of Subsea Expo, the world’s largest subsea exhibition and conference

Organised by industry body Global Underwater Hub, the three-day event is a showcase of the capability, innovation, technologies and skills that exists across the underwater industry.

Taking place at P&J Live in Aberdeen, Scotland, from Tuesday, 21 until Thursday, 23 February, the free-to-attend event will welcome up to 6,500 industry professionals. Taking the theme of ‘Into the Blue’, the event will provide a platform for cross-sectoral collaboration and discussion in the underwater industry, estimated to be worth around £8billion to the UK economy.

Subsea Expo will feature around 150 exhibiting companies and organisations working in the oil and gas, decommissioning, renewable energy, defence, cabling and aquaculture sectors. The well-established exhibition and conference is widely regarded as an event where business deals are done.

Among the companies featured in the exhibition hall will be Boskalis, Bureau Veritas, Concept Cables, EODEX, JDR Cable Systems and The National Decommissioning Centre. Subsea Expo is also being supported by Wood, TechnipFMC, Argentex, C-Kore Systems, Havfram, Knight Optical, Scottish Renewables and Viper Innovations.

Running alongside the exhibition will be a busy conference programme. Multiple parallel sessions will take place over the three days, featuring debate on current industry topics.

One area where significant discussion is expected is around energy security and the protection of critical national underwater infrastructure, such as pipelines and data cables. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has heightened concerns over global energy supply, while attacks on the Nord Stream pipeline and fears over strikes to similar undersea structures around the world have brought protection of these unseen assets into sharp focus.

Allied to this theme will be a focus on pipelines, and robotics and autonomous operations. Alongside highlighting the latest developments in remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) technology, discussion will likely cover how their surveillance capabilities could be used to help protect key subsea infrastructure.

Other conference sessions will examine the supply chain, vessels and equipment, offshore renewables, doing business underwater, subsea production systems, integrity and inspection, and data and digital.

Neil Gordon, Chief Executive of Global Underwater Hub, which organises the event, said: “Subsea Expo will be back in its stride in 2023 and visitors can expect to see an excellent array of exhibitors showcasing their capabilities and latest technologies. While the conference programme will offer attendees a broad range of discussion on current industry challenges and future innovations.”

Neil Gordon

Entrance to the exhibition and conference is free of charge. Advance registration is recommended via the event website, www.subseaexpo.com