The Belfast office will be led by Sarah Gibson, Marine & Energy Director, and Diarmuid O’Loan, Ports Technical Director. These experienced members of the Insight Marine team bring a wealth of expertise in marine infrastructure, ports, and energy, combining strategic understanding with practical engineering and project delivery experience.
The UK is a core target market for Insight Marine across ports and harbors, offshore wind, and subsea transmission infrastructure. Following its launch in June 2026, the business is expanding its local presence to support developers, port operators, transmission system operators, contractors, and public bodies, backed by its wider multidisciplinary team in Ireland.
The expansion comes as the UK, Europe’s largest offshore wind market and the second largest globally by installed capacity, builds on the success of its seventh Contracts for Difference auction, AR7. Announced in January 2026, AR7 secured a record 8.4 GW of offshore wind capacity, making it Europe’s largest offshore wind auction to date. The UK Government estimates that the awards will unlock around £22 billion of private investment.
Industry is now awaiting the outcome of AR8, which could unlock a further wave of offshore wind development and associated infrastructure investment. ORE Catapult identified approximately 17.1 GW of potentially eligible offshore wind capacity ahead of the application window, while industry anticipates that this could lead to circa 7 GW of offshore wind awards. The capacity ultimately secured will depend on the auction budget and competitive bids, but the scale of the opportunity points to sustained demand for marine engineering and project delivery support.
This scale of activity creates opportunities across port development, offshore foundations, subsea cables, and electricity transmission. Insight Marine combines specialist engineering design, practical offshore delivery experience, and commercial advisory insight to help clients reduce technical, commercial, and delivery risk, addressing the interfaces between cost, program, procurement, and engineering.
Belfast is steeped in marine tradition. Generations of mariners, shipbuilders, marine engineers, and civil contractors have contributed to Northern Ireland’s longstanding maritime industry and its role in the wider UK economy. Establishing a base in the city allows Insight Marine to draw on this deep pool of practical knowledge and engineering talent as it develops its services for UK clients.
Insight Marine plans to continue growing its Belfast team, drawing on experienced marine engineers and emerging talent to provide dynamic, responsive service delivery. The focus will be on building lasting client relationships and providing the technical expertise and flexible project support needed as UK infrastructure programs progress.
Paul Doherty, Managing Director of Insight Marine, said: “Opening our Belfast office is an important step in building Insight Marine’s capacity and demonstrating our commitment to the UK and Northern Ireland markets. With Sarah and Diarmuid leading the office, our plan is to grow a team that responds quickly to clients’ needs and helps them turn investment plans into deliverable projects.”
Sarah Gibson, Marine & Energy Director, added: “Belfast has a rich maritime engineering tradition, and Northern Ireland has built up deep expertise in the sector over generations. We want to draw on that experience, create opportunities for local engineers, and continue building our team. From our base in the Scottish Provident Building, we will combine local knowledge with Insight Marine’s wider expertise to provide practical, responsive support for clients across ports, offshore wind, and subsea infrastructure.”
