Offshore Europe 2025: Heard on the show floor

Compiled by Ariana Hurtado, Editor-in-chief

SPE Offshore Europe 2025 (OE25) has been taking place this week from Sept. 2-5 in Aberdeen, Scotland. The biennial conference and exhibition provides a platform for the oil and gas industry to collaborate, demonstrate and share ideas to improve efficiences and advance technologies. 

The event, founded in 1973, is backed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), an independent, non-profit global society with 132,000 members involved in the offshore industry.

In the following compilation, OE25 attendees, presenters and exhibitors shared their insights with Offshore about the future of the offshore energy industry, the energy transformation, the offshore wind sector, safety, technology and more. 

"Offshore Europe 2025 is a rallying point, bringing together the people, ideas and ambition needed to secure a future that is grounded in energy reality. The conference theme, 'Unlocking Europe’s Potential in Offshore Energy,' reflects a deliberate focus on collaborative action across borders and industries. Our industry is not standing still. It is transforming, investing in innovation, lowering emissions, developing the low-carbon technologies of tomorrow. Over 60 years, our highly skilled people have developed the technical knowledge, built energy infrastructure and evolved an extensive supply chain network that will be critical to delivering the UK’s low-carbon future. To power a modern industrial Britain, our people and businesses need secure, affordable and lower-carbon domestic energy. But that transformation is not without challenges. The UK imports a record 40% of its energy, with policy decisions, not geology, driving an accelerated decline in North Sea oil and gas production. In a volatile world, this is the wrong path."

—David Whitehouse, CEO of Offshore Energies UK and Chairman of the SPE Offshore Europe 2025 Executive Committee

Read more commentary by David Whitehouse: "Offshore Europe 2025 comes at a pivotal time for the North Sea."

“Discussions at Offshore Europe make it clear how quickly the role of the well engineer is evolving. For decades the focus was hydrocarbons, but now the same expertise is being redirected to make carbon storage a reality. Designing CO₂ injection wells is not about reinventing everything we know—it’s instead about rethinking the boundaries of existing practice. The complexity of saline aquifers or depleted fields demands new modeling, new testing and closer collaboration across disciplines. That shift is not a future ambition; it is happening in projects right now, and it’s reshaping what it means to deliver safe, reliable wells in the energy transition.”

—Mike Byrne, Well Technology Manager, Elemental Energies (Attendee)

“The offshore wind market is at a pivotal moment for the UK. We are a global leader, but cracks are beginning to emerge in our supply chain that need cementing quickly. The unsteadiness from previous auctions, combined with the pace of permits and delays in upgrading vital infrastructure, has created a gap between current capacity and the ambitious 2030 target. But that’s why a positive outcome in Allocation Round 7 will be so pivotal. It may provide the certainty needed to unlock the investment required to meet the UK’s offshore wind ambitions. And Offshore Europe is a timely reminder that the energy transition is only as strong as the hands that build it, and that strength comes from long-term investment in people, infrastructure and partnerships across the sector.”

—Carl Pilmer, Chief Sales Officer at JDR Cables (Attendee)

“At Offshore Europe, the conversation around offshore wind supply chains has highlighted both challenge and opportunity. Policy and market conditions remain somewhat unpredictable, but there is scope within the industry’s control to strengthen resilience. To realize this potential, lessons from other offshore infrastructure projects, like oil and gas, show that earlier and more flexible engagement between operators and suppliers can reduce risk, drive innovation and improve efficiency within offshore project delivery. The real gains come when we treat the supply chain as an integrated whole—recognizing how improvements in one phase can multiply benefits across the lifecycle. Genuine partnerships and smarter risk allocation will be critical to maximize scalability of offshore wind sustainably and deliver both energy security and economic value.”

—Barry Parsons, Group Chief Commercial Officer, Acteon (Exhibitor/Sponsor)

"Over the past decade, we’ve heard some big workforce questions asked time and again: how do we attract talent, how do we reskill our workforce and how do we inspire the next generation? We’ve put a lot of thought into these challenges and taken some important steps in response. But to truly answer them, we must show our answers in more action. The next big question we need to answer is how do we chart a clear, collaborative path forward for the workforce? That begins with understanding who we are and how we are really seen by talent, investors [and] communities. It may also mean asking ourselves thoughtful and harder questions such as what kind of sector we want to be? What story are we telling and what role we, as the North Sea, will play in the energy industry’s future? It's really important that we have these discussions this week with so many of the industry's businesses and associations together. This is the moment to build on the momentum we’ve created around the future of the workforce and develop a clear path forward together."

—Stephen Marcos Jones, CEO, OPITO (Exhibitor)

"Offshore wind projects are getting larger, timelines are tightening and cost pressures are intensifying. Integration provides a practical solution: fewer interfaces, reduced risk and a stronger foundation for industrial-scale deployment. For operators and governments alike, the message is clear. If offshore wind is to fulfill its role in the global energy transition, supply chain integration cannot be an afterthought. It is the missing link between today’s strained delivery models and tomorrow’s decarbonized energy system."

—David Carr, Chief Commercial Officer, OEG (Presenter)

Read more commentary by David Carr: "Supply chain consolidation can accelerate offshore wind deployment."

"In a world increasingly shaped by volatility, Offshore Europe 2025 will arguably be the most important iteration in a generation, as the industry continues to grapple with geopolitical tensions and legislative shifts, all while trying to deliver a transition in a shrinking window. These are legitimate challenges, but they must never detract from the industry’s duty of care. Safety cannot be the collateral damage of fiscal or political change, but given the plethora of other talking points, its criticality has felt somewhat diminished recently. It is when eyes are taken off the ball that the need for the industry to reinforce its collective commitment to maintaining the highest standards becomes all the more urgent."

—Craig Morrison, Offshore Team Manager, Dräger (Attendee)

Read more commentary by Craig Morrison: "Safety must not be the price of progress in offshore energy."

"Offshore engineering innovation is increasingly being driven by the need to balance operational efficiency with safety, sustainability and cost. In the North Sea, where many assets are approaching the later stages of operational life, lifting operations present a particular challenge. Platform cranes are critical to daily logistics and any reduction in performance or operator confidence can have serious implications for both safety and efficiency." 

—Dariusz Roseger, Head of Projects - Lifting Solutions, EnerMech (Presenter)

Dariusz Roseger presented a technical case study on Sept. 2 at the North Sea Futures Theatre. Read the full case study: "Engineering approach restores crane control functionality on North Sea asset."

“The North Sea is at a critical juncture. Production decline, rising well shut-ins, windfall taxes and tighter regulations are straining operators just as geopolitical uncertainty shapes global markets. Yet an estimated £10 billion in pre-tax value remains untapped within existing infrastructure. The real opportunity is to work mature fields harder by increasing well intervention rates safely and cost-effectively—optimizing what we already have. Innovative approaches, such as equipping jackups and lift boats with advanced subsea well intervention equipment, like open water intervention riser systems, enables operators to overcome the limitations of traditional methods and unlock the full potential of mature offshore assets. By integrating these technologies, operators can sustain North Sea production, safeguard the UK’s energy supply and maximize the long-term value of offshore resources."

—Ben Cannell, Innovation Director, Aquaterra Energy (Presenter)

Ben Cannell presented the "From Stranded Assets to Active Production: Making Mature Fields Work Harder" session on Sept. 3.

"Digitalization is fundamentally reshaping offshore equipment rental operations. By eradicating legacy inefficiencies and leveraging real-time data, organizations unlock new levels of compliance, cost efficiency, agility and sustainability. As regulatory scrutiny intensifies and operational risk rises, digital transformation stands not just as a differentiator, but as the foundation for future readiness and sustained success in the offshore sector."

—Michael Maltsev, CEO, RigER (Presenter/Exhibitor)

Michael Maltsev presented on Sept. 3 in the Offshore Wind Theatre. Read more commentary by him: "Digitalization is transforming offshore equipment rental processes."