This year’s gathering, from April 8–10, was expansive, with a full second day added to the conference agenda (running alongside the already established Ocean Careers program) and a significant increase to the exhibition floor—more technologies, more people, more opportunities.
In fact, the planning committee will need to lobby the NOC for yet more room in 2027 based on this year’s turnout—such was the demand, “standing room only” was the best many could manage at several of the keynotes and big-draw technical sessions.
SETTING THE AGENDA
However, early birds on day 1 were rewarded with a fascinating opening address by renowned maritime archaeologist Mensun Bound, during which he shared behind-the-scenes insights from his milestone 2022 expedition to locate Shackleton’s Endurance at a depth of 3,008 meters in the Weddel Sea. Captivating anecdotes, stunning imagery, and an effortless commentary on the application of subsea technologies made for a perfectly apt start to Ocean Business 2025.
Next up was John Siddorn, CEO of the NOC, underlining the need to nurture industry partnerships, followed by Andy Liddel from DE&S and Commander Mark Butcher from the Royal Navy, clarifying the next steps for autonomous systems designed for surveillance tasks and data collection. So, in less than two hours, Ocean Business was up and running with pioneering ocean exploration, a rally cry for sector collaboration, and the tactical integration of autonomy.
GETTING HANDS-ON
From there, delegates were left to navigate their way through the stacked menu of panel discussions, training sessions, dockside demos, and vessel excursions. And this is to say little of the sea of exhibitors, both in the main hall, outside pavilion, and dockside area.
What makes Ocean Business so special, beyond the obvious one-stop-shop convenience, is the well-orchestrated dance between conference and exhibition; often, one eclipses the other at meets of this nature, but the NOC’s facilities cater to a more tangible, intimate experience. One minute, you’re clutching a promotional USV handout in a booth; the next, you’re seeing the same platform running survey lines in the adjacent harbor.
And while attempting to wrap up such a dense three days into a couple of hundred words might appear disingenuous at first, there were some prominent and reoccurring themes, common threads that bind the state of the ocean tech sector right now.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
First, the rate of ocean tech diversification continues to accelerate; just a few observant hours at the NOC’s test tank was enough to see how the compact ROV category has transformed in recent years, with “try before you buy” sessions led by Exail, Oceanbotics, Outland Technology, Framework Robotics, and QYSEA. Dockside, the same could be said by the careful choreography of USVs and AUVs.
Second, the pursuit of data precision and integrity abounds. Over the three days, there was a steady drip feed of important product launches and upgrades; Teledyne Marine announced a series of updated navigation and sensing solutions, including both the SeaBat T51-S 6,000 meter multibeam echosounder and the Compact Navigator, an ultracompact autonomous navigation system for uncrewed vehicles; Sonardyne unveiled the new echosounder feature to its Origin ADCPs, designed to streamline data collection efforts in a single deployment; Kongsberg Discovery launched Geomatics, a new digital product intended to transform how ocean data is captured, managed, and accessed.
And finally, at least for this write-up, the ongoing integration of uncrewed systems remains a piston for innovation. Progress towards establishing a new operating reality in which USVs, AUVs, and new hybrid configurations work as effective force multipliers was evidenced by three days of live demos by the likes of EvoLogics, Maritime Robotics, Unique Group, and OPT, all with their own take on form and function. The implications for remote unmanned operations are profound, as was amply demonstrated by a live demo hosted by Saildrone and Kongsberg Discovery, a classroom session that afforded attendees an exclusive hydrographer’s view of live data coming in from a USV executing a survey mission in waters surrounding the Cayman Islands.
CHAMPIONING CHANGE
As impressive as the technologies performed, this paradigm shift demands more than proven platforms—it demands strategic collaboration. It requires investments, like RTsys’ show commitment to purchase 20 side scan sonar systems from Klein Marine Systems destined for their micro AUV NEMOSENS; it insists on the commercialization of next-gen platforms, like Boxfish Robotics’ new hovering Boxfish AUV, debuted in Southampton; and last but not least, it calls for the voice of institutions to champion change, epitomized by the NOC’s decision to inaugurate a new Innovation Hub designed to drive meaningful progress in the field of marine autonomy.
This spotllight appeared in ON&T Magazine’s 2025 May Edition, Oceanography & Remote Monitoring, to read more access the magazine here.
