Held every two years in London, Oceanology International 2024 brought together thousands of the world’s professionals from the ocean industry, technology, engineering and scientific fields with a mission to shape the future of our oceans, showcasing cutting-edge technologies and shining a light on the blue economy
With a focus on a sustainable blue economy, Oceanology International 2024 (Oi24) took place at London’s ExCeL in March, providing the industry’s premier event to showcase ocean innovation and technology. Activity across the successful threeday exhibition and conference featured a strong emphasis on future technology and transformational solutions, sparking collaboration and discovery among the thousands of leading exhibitors, visitors and high-profile speakers.
Oi24 and its co-located event OceanICT reflected the global challenges confronting the industry and influencing the trajectory of technology development across numerous ocean-based sectors. Key themes included energy transition, climate change and ocean health, offshore energy, geotechnics, hydrography and ocean science, improved sustainability in offshore operations and the development of ocean-tech investment and finance opportunities, plus new applications of autonomous systems and AI, and ocean connectivity. Visitors discovered the latest cutting-edge technology and innovations in acoustics, autonomous and unmanned vessels, bathymetry, cameras, robotics, navigation and more.
Attracting a unique attendance of 7,536 people from over 90 countries, with many revisiting throughout the week for a total attendance of 13,915, an uplift of 39% on the previous edition, Oi anchored its position as a global facilitator of ocean connection.
“This phenomenal turnout solidifies Oceanology International as the ocean science and technology community’s premier event for the industry to showcase international collaboration and innovation, and shape the future of our oceans,” said Show Director David Ince. “From a global perspective, over 90 countries were represented, and the excitement, energy and collaboration of all involved was unmistakable.
“It’s also evident that exhibitors have looked to plan their strategies around Oi24 and decided it is the best time to unveil their latest developments, partnerships and technological advancements.”
The show floor played host to 443 exhibitors from 31 countries, over 110 product and service launches, plus a significant number of exclusive announcements. There were more than 175 dockside demonstrations and 166 conference speakers.
The organisers of Oi24 launched a number of new initiatives at the show, including a Skills and Careers Trail, an Official Launch
Partner, the Oi App, a media partner for the OceanICT Zone and a commercial Video Partner.
Catch The Next Wave Conference
With a special edition focusing on innovation at the ocean-climate nexus, the Catch the Next Wave conference returned for the sixth time on the final day, supported by presentations from a high-profile and inspirational list of industry-leading specialists from within and outside of the ocean community.
The speakers took a futuristic look at how key areas of rapidly evolving technology might help to achieve net zero and beyond, at the same time as supporting the restoration of the Earth’s essential biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Among the highlights was an opening keynote, ‘Rising to the Challenge’, by Sir David King, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, a former chief scientific adviser to the UK government, and the founder and chair of the Climate Crisis Advisory Group (CCAG), an independent panel of leading international climate experts.
EXHIBITORS SHOWCASE CUTTING-EDGE SOLUTIONS
The industry’s leading companies took the opportunity to unveil their latest technology innovations and exclusive announcements.
Teledyne Marine introduced the new Slocum Sentinel Glider, an ultra-long en- durance uncrewed vehicle which allows for persistent ocean monitoring on the scale of years. Boasting a 4-liter buoyancy engine, a 13-inch diameter, dual thrusters for burst speeds of up to 3.5 knots, and a 4000 Wh energy capacity, the Slocum Sentinel has the size and energy to address the widest range of oceanographic missions.
Teledyne Marine also announced its acquisition of Valeport, a market leader in the design and manufacture of underwater sensors and profilers.
On the dockside, hydrographic sonar systems company R3Vox launched the revolutionary Voxometer®, the only MA3® Multi-Aspect Hydrospatial Survey System. Powered by multiple new patented technologies which measure voxels, this all-in-one system reduces the complexity of survey operations and simultaneously collects high-quality data.
Exail unveiled its latest innovation, the Phins 9 Compact. Built around a high-performance Fiber Optic Gyroscope-based Inertial Measurement Unit with advanced acceler- ometers, the Phins 9 Compact is the most compact high-performance INS in the market.
Canada’s Ocean Supercluster (OSC) CEO Kendra MacDonald announced almost $18 million in new projects. The three new projects will accelerate the development and commercialization of innovative solutions in marine shipping and involve project partners from the east and west coasts of Canada.
One of the product launches was by first-time exhibitor uWare Robotics, a leading start-up in dual-use autonomous underwater robotics and AI systems for environmental monitoring, infrastructure inspection and assets management. Sayri Arteaga, the CEO and lead robotics engineer, presented the core concepts of the highly-mobile, cost-effective, untethered AUV, the uOne. By using an integrated approach, the uOne streamlines monitoring and provides unparalleled depth in marine ecosystem analysis, which is crucial for effective management and conservation. Furthermore, the system will allow for the digital twinning of infrastructure assets.
Jaia Robotics also chose Oi24 to intro- duce its new product, the highly portable, micro-sized and fully autonomous JaiaBot-PAM for acoustic monitoring, with co-founder Jason Webster and Product Manager Michael Rock presenting to attendees.
Tethys Robotics presented an autonomous underwater vehicle that has been specially developed for use in challenging and dangerous environments like turbid channels and rivers. Equipped with acoustic sensors and cameras, the robot can search large areas underwater completely autonomously and quickly localize objects or people.
Global subsea engineering and technology company SMD’s announced the sale of its first electric ROV to Luxembourg-based marine contractor, Jan De Nul Group. SMD’s Quantum EV will be integrated into Jan De Nul Group’s new cable laying vessel, Fleeming Jenkin, and deployed to offshore energy projects globally.
International subsea specialist Sulmara launched a new suite of services to reduce the risks clients face in subsea operations –and help them meet their net zero targets.
Saildrone also used Oi as a platform to unveil the first of a new generation of Surveyor-class unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), purpose-built for autonomous deep-water ocean mapping missions and maritime defence and security missions.
In a strategic move to strengthen its global market presence, Greensea IQ, a leading provider of marine robotics software and integrated solutions, announced the signing of BUVI Scandinavia (BUVI) to join its international sales team.
Exhibitor feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with Ryan Lumsden, Business Development Manager, SAAB, commenting: “Oi24 has been an absolute joy. The quality of visitors has been higher. Some of the other, larger shows can be very diverse. Oi is on a reasonable scale, but it’s all very relevant. We have managed to catch up with a lot of our existing clients and meet a few new ones as well, so it has been very positive from our perspective.”
Rob Howard, Chief Growth Officer, Greensea IQ, said: “Oi provided Greensea IQ an excellent venue to showcase both the full line of Bayonet AUGVs and the groundbreaking in-water ship maintenance service EverClean. We look forward to continuing the discussions from this week with the hundreds of diverse visitors to our stand looking for solutions only our dual use technology can currently provide.”
Rosa M Ceberio, Commercial Manager, iMPAQ, said: “It is the first time we have exhibited at Oceanology International, and it has been amazing. Oi attracts a lot more of the international community which is really great to see. It is also a lot bigger, with everyone under one roof. We’ve made a lot of contacts here and would definitely like to return in 2026. We’ve launched the brand, our corporate identity, to the world.
Oi has been the space to tell the world that we’re here.”
Ian Vincent, Director and General Manager, ecoSUB Robotics, said: “We are a UK-based company, so we have to be at Oi. Our customers expect to see us and we wouldn’t miss it. We have been catching up with people we are working with, meeting new people, sharing information. It feels a lot busier this year.”
Show Director David Ince added: “It was inspiring to see the sheer amount of new technology and innovation on show, alongside a diverse, international audience – proof that we are all working hard towards a common goal, to ensure a healthy, sustainable future for our oceans.
“We are already looking forward to Oi26 in two years’ time from 10th to 12th March, with a commitment to evolve and expand the event, to introduce new features and topics, while building on the decades of history that have made Oceanology International successful. We will continue to strive to bring together the best the industry has to offer across the sectors, strengthening the bridge connecting the ocean’s three pillars of industry, academia, and government, and looking towards the future with optimism.”
Oceanology International London returns in 2026 from 10th to 12th March. To stay updated, please visit the Oi website. www.oceanologyinternational.com
