Largest ever Oceanology International

Over 8,000 visitors are expected for an agenda featuring eight free to attend conferences, three topical panel discussions, 10 dockside vessels, a dozen or more outside demonstrations and over 550 exhibitors from 35 countries, including eight national pavilions.

As usual, hydrography will be one of the principal topics with a day long conference on Offshore Site Investigations on 13 March. Main themes to be addressed by speakers from BP, Fugro, Geo-4D, MRC Consultants and Southern GeoServices are Best Practices for Wind Farm Site Investigations, Data Compilation & Manipulation, and Extraction & Extrapolation of Geotechnical Engineering Properties from Geophysical Data. Meanwhile, the opening day features a session on underwater positioning and measurement techniques at which representatives of BP, Fugro, Geocon, IxBlue, 4D Nav, Seebyte, Sonardyne, Technip and IMCA will address current issues.

Outside the main arena will be an array of survey and support vessels open for inspection whilst various dockside demonstrations are promised by, among others, Bluefin Robotics, Innovatum, Outland Technology, Teledyne Marine Systems, Rolls Royce Canada and RT Systems.

Beginning with a preliminary Catch the Next Wave technical seminar at the Royal Academy of Engineering in London on 10 March, fringe events include a three day Spillex conference on methods for assessing and averting spill related impacts and a special Careers Day catering for graduates and undergraduates from all relevant UK universities. Also scheduled is a ‘Meet the Investor’ workshop aimed at connecting inventors with ways to market and access funding to and from the oil and gas sector.