This year’s three-day event surpassed expectations, attracting 8,271 visitors and professionals from across the ocean enterprise for a total attendance of 15,709, representing a 14% increase on the previous edition. The largest Oceanology International in its 57-year history welcomed 50% of its attendees from outside the UK, with 461 exhibiting companies representing over 30 countries, underlining its role as the global platform for ocean innovation and collaboration.
More than 160 companies chose Oi26 as the launchpad for new solutions, reinforcing Oceanology International’s position as the most important marketplace on the planet for unveiling cutting-edge technology and offering direct access to a powerful cross-section of customers, partners, and decision-makers. Taking their place among the industry’s most high-profile, established key players who returned to the event, including Teledyne Marine, Fugro, Sonardyne, Kongsberg Discovery, and others, were 120 new exhibitors for 2026, such as Bedrock, C-SAM, Online Oceans, and Reach Systems, adding fresh perspectives and new solutions to the show floor.
With a strong COAST focus debuting this year alongside the wider Oi content, more than 80 exhibitors showcased specific coastal and shallow-water solutions, offering attendees a highly focused opportunity to connect with the right companies and expertise in this rapidly evolving space. A three-day content program on the new COAST stage ran as a core feature within the exhibition, complementing Ocean Futures, the Technical Conference, and Dockside Demonstrations to deliver a richer, more integrated visitor experience.
Headline statistics for Oi26 include:
- Total attendance: 15,709, +14% vs Oi24
- International attendees: 50%
- Exhibiting companies: 461 from 30 countries
- New exhibitors: 120
- Product & Service Launches: 162, +45% vs Oi24
- Overall footprint/floor space: 21,000 square meters
- Conference Speakers: 203
- Dockside Demonstrations: 175+
David Ince, Event Director, Oceanology International, said: “Ocean technology now sits at the heart of the global energy transition, sustainable ocean stewardship and the growing ocean economy, and that’s exactly what we saw come to life at Oi26. From offshore renewables and coastal resilience to advanced data, survey, and autonomous systems, the innovation on show this year underlined just how critical this sector is to unlocking safer, more sustainable, and more prosperous use of our oceans.”
The Oi content program united inspiring voices from around the world—from cutting-edge technical sessions and workshops led by innovative service providers, to visionary discussions and policy insights shared by senior government leaders shaping the future of ocean technology.
Costas Kadis, European Commissioner for Oceans and Fisheries, EU Commission, was among the key contributors, giving a keynote speech on ‘The Future of the Blue Economy’ and commenting: “This is a time of great challenges, but also of great opportunities.”
Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, took part in the session ‘Sustaining the Global Ocean Observing System’. He said: “We need the collective efforts of governments and private sectors to step up in terms of observing and sharing data.”
Rachael Hill MBE, Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Strategy Manager, Environment Agency, delivered a keynote presentation, “Addressing the Current Challenges in Coastal Resilience and Flood Defense.”
She said: “Oceanology 2026 provided the Environment Agency with a valuable platform to share our coastal challenges and opportunities with a wide range of industry professionals. The event enabled me to build new connections, gain fresh insights, and deepen my understanding of innovative technologies and solutions that could support our future work.”
Fred Thomas MP, the Labor Member of Parliament for Plymouth Moor View and Defense Select Committee member, attended this year’s Oi, taking part in a Waterside Chat in the COAST Theater to discuss, “Policy, Innovation and Skills for the Future of Coastal and Maritime Infrastructure Protection.”
He also visited exhibitors, with a particular emphasis on new UK companies, meeting companies on their stands, including the newly established National Centre for Marine Autonomy, Online Oceans, ACUA Ocean, and Denatec Ltd.
Exhibitor Feedback: High Energy and Busy Stands
The mood on the show floor was consistently upbeat, with exhibitors reporting high-quality conversations, strong leads, and a clear appetite for new technology.
Guy Frankland, Head of Marketing, Teledyne Marine, said: “Oi is the biggest event in the marine calendar for us and a fantastic opportunity to meet customers. In 2026, we have our biggest stand, and it looks fantastic. It has been really busy with great engagement from customers. At Oi, we showcase a range of technology from the different brands – Teledyne Marine, Teledyne FLIR, and Teledyne CARIS—under one banner. We also held a reception on the stand to celebrate RESON’s 50th anniversary.”
Alan Middup, President, Deep Trekker, said: “Oi26 has been good for the launch of SPECTRA, our next-generation ROV. It is designed for offshore, harsh conditions, with higher payload capacity, more power. With its high specifications, it is still small and highly maneuverable. Oi offers exposure to many companies and a chance to catch up with partners and technology, and with distributors in Europe. It is important to hear the problems which need to be solved face-to-face.”
Petter Norgren-Aamot, Chief Technology Officer, Skarv Technologies, said: “We launched our Corax 600 AUV-system, a purpose-built vehicle system optimized for high-resolution optical and acoustical seafloor mapping. It is our first time exhibiting, so Oi is a new experience for us, which has been really good. It was the natural step for us as we take the product internationally.”
Anneke Lafeber, Regional Events Manager, Fugro, said: “Blue Prism, our latest USV, has been the main launch at Oi26. It is an important show with a strong emphasis on survey work. We find it good for networking; there are lots of suppliers here, plus we can catch up with operational-level clients who are visiting. It is also a learning experience and a chance to get updated with new technology. We returned this year with a different format, and it has been very successful.”
Dan Lovering, Sales Operations Manager, English Braids, said: “Oi is always a great place to secure high-quality leads and to discuss projects we wouldn’t otherwise know about. We are here to highlight made-in-the-UK products you can trust. We see a lot of technical people at our stand, those designing solutions, project managers looking to procure equipment, and winch companies who use rope.”
Higgin Ko, Vice President, iBULe Photonics, said: “The response to our new hydrophone technology at Oceanology International was extremely positive. It was a valuable event for meeting industry leaders and demonstrating the potential of our world-first 3rd generation single crystal acoustic sensing technology, which represents a major advancement in underwater detection capability.”
Vanlu Madarame, Director of Executive Operations, from first-time exhibitors Bedrock, said: “It is our first time with a booth at Oi26, and it has been very busy. It is known as THE ocean tech conference, so it was a great opportunity for us to put our best foot forward. It was the right time for us to attend, as we now have proven seabed data. It is time to tell the world what we have been up to, what we can do, and what we will do. To have a presence at Oi next to so many established industry players is a sign of our growth and capabilities. We walked the floor at Oi24, so it is really exciting to have a stand like this in 2026, to see the big companies together, and to be part of this community. What an honor!”
Visitor feedback echoed this positive sentiment, with attendees from industry, government, and academia—from engineers, hydrographers, and geotechnics to energy professionals, oceanographers, site investigators, marine surveyors, students, and many more—highlighting the quality of content, access to expertise, and breadth of technology on show.
Tom Bettle, Consultant, Hefring, said: “We visited Oceanology International to connect with organizations whose technologies complement our own and to explore new collaboration opportunities across the ocean technology sector. Hefring Marine, one of just 15 NATO Diana partners in the maritime domain for 2026, is widely recognized for its tactical operational intelligence and safety solutions for professional vessels, helping operators make smarter, safer decisions at sea. As our technology is increasingly applied across ocean science, offshore operations, and maritime autonomy, Oi provides a valuable platform to meet partners working at the forefront of marine innovation.”
Key Announcements at Oi26
The exhibition floor and dockside were buzzing with launches and exclusive announcements throughout the show, with major news from Day One and Day Two news making headlines across the ocean technology community.
On the final day of Oi, Fugro announced further commitment to The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 project, a flagship program of the United Nations Ocean Decade. As the Ocean Decade reaches its halfway point, Fugro is expanding the group of vessels actively contributing to the Seabed 2030 project. Fugro’s largest vessels, working on geotechnical surveys, are now also contributing to the collection of ocean-floor data alongside the original and ongoing geophysical fleet.
Under the new commitment, Fugro has begun collecting Single Beam Echo Sounder (SBES) bathymetry data from its geotechnical fleet during vessel transits. This higher number of vessels broadens the scope and cadence of ocean-floor data collected and contributed to Seabed 2030. The expansion complements Fugro’s existing in-transit multibeam echosounder (MBES) program on the geophysical fleet, marking a significant step forward in the race to produce a definitive, publicly available map of the entire ocean by 2030.
Revealed publicly for the first time at the show, the new Teledyne Marine SeaBat D-Series was the company’s focus across the three days. The launch headlines Teledyne RESON’s 50th anniversary celebrations and forms the centerpiece of a broader technology showcase that includes a new Integrated Dual Head multibeam configuration, autonomous platform integrations, and live on-water demonstrations.
GeoAcoustics announced the first sale of its newly launched GeoMB 401 multibeam echosounder, with the order placed by Australian channel partner No Humes during Oi26.
“Oceanology International is where the industry comes to see technologies that genuinely move the field forward, and GeoMB was one of the stand-out launches at this year’s show,” said Cory Brooks, Director of No Humes.
Richard Dowdeswell, CCO at GeoAcoustics, added: “Seeing the first GeoMB system ordered during the week of launch is a strong endorsement of the need for a practical multibeam solution for today’s survey environment. Our partnership with No Humes allows us to make the system available in Australia, where there is strong demand for dependable and cost-effective hydrographic technology.”
Oceanology International also saw strong interest in another new system from GeoAcoustics, the GeoPulse LF 101 low-frequency boomer sub-bottom profiler. Launched alongside GeoMB at the event, the system attracted attention from survey companies and research organizations seeking deeper sediment penetration for geotechnical and geological investigations.
The next Oceanology International event at Excel London takes place from March 14–16, 2028, when the global ocean technology, engineering, and science communities will reconvene to write the next chapter in ocean innovation together.
