The line-up of industry experts reflects the scope and ambition of the sector as it gathers together for the global marine technology and science show, to be held at the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in Southampton from April 8–10.

Keynote speakers on day one of the conference, taking place on Tuesday, April 8, include John Siddorn, NOC Chief Executive, examining the center’s role in industry engagement; Andy Liddell of Defence Equipment and Support, exploring the future of autonomous systems in the Royal Navy; and Commander Mark Butcher, representing Navy Develop and its many technical collaborations.

At the end of the morning session, the Society of Maritime Industries (SMI) will present its coveted Business Person of the Year Award.

After lunch, Becky Conway, CEO of the Hydrographic Society UK & Ireland, will lead a discussion on Future Skills for the Next Generation of Ocean Technology, along with Fugro Academy’s Mike Redmayne, while Chris White of the Australian Maritime College will offer an Antipodean perspective on training in autonomous maritime systems.

Following an early careers platform for student hydrographers, two pan-sector panels, both mediated by Conference Chair Sue John, will look at Space and the Marine Environment, with the NOC’s Paul Bell investigating the Remote Sensing Revolution, plus presentations from the European Space Agency, the Space South Central Enterprise Network, and Surrey Satellite Technology.

The Future of our Ocean is the overall theme of day two, on Wednesday, April 9, chaired by BP’s Mark Poole and with a roll-call of international innovators, from RS Aqua’s Ryan Mowat, to Neil Manning of Cellular Robotics Canada, and Adam Hamilton of MMA Offshore, Australia, addressing everything from intelligent underwater acoustics, to long-endurance AUVs, and the challenges of renewable energy surveys.

Also not to be missed, in the second session on this theme, chaired by Trish Buxton of Thurn Group, are talks by Port of London hydrographer John Dillon-Leetch, on meeting the needs of the UK’s number one port; Andrijana Horvat from Hidrocibalae Croatia with an update on AI’s role in security challenges; Adam Parnell, of safety at sea charity CHIRP, focusing on incident reporting and saving lives; and Sam Taylor, of Ocean Infinity, charting the course of the Armada fleet of unmanned surface robots.

Continuing the Future of our Ocean theme, David Parker and Rob Clarke of the UK Centre for Seabed Mapping and UK Hydrographic Office will be joined by Nicola Robinson of ORE Catapult, the UK technology innovation and research center for offshore wind, wave and tidal energy, and Ryan Mowat, SMI’s Marine Science and Technology Council Director.

All will then reconvene for the final panel session of the day, chaired by Mike King of Sulmara Subsea, to consider how developments in the ocean science community are disrupting the status quo.

Ocean Business Conference Chair Sue John said: “I am really excited to be given this opportunity to co-chair the Ocean Business 2025 conference program. Ocean Business plays a vital role in connecting the global ocean technology community, and I am committed to building on its success by delivering an exceptional platform for innovation, collaboration, and growth.”

Cheri Arvonio, Event Director at show organizer Diversified Communications, said: “By popular demand, we have extended our conference this year, with two full days of not-to-be-missed presentations from a who’s who of industry leaders.

As the countdown to Ocean Business 2025 begins, we are now putting the finishing touches on our program and will have more announcements to make soon.”