NOF, the business development experts for the energy sector, has welcomed the Government’s endorsement of industry plans to build a multi-million pound underwater engineer hub in Aberdeen.
Announced by the Prime Minister Theresa May, the planned Global Underwater Engineering Hub will bring together underwater technologies from both industry and academia from up and down the country.
It will also reinforce the UK’s status as a global leader in the field and build on expertise in subsea robotics, remotely-operated underwater vehicles and maritime support vessels.
Seizing the opportunities in the ‘blue economy’ will also help the UK’s oil and gas sector diversify and support the UK’s move away from fossil fuels towards clean growth.
George Rafferty, Chief Executive of NOF, (pictured) said: “The UK’s subsea industry’s position at the forefront of global offshore technology innovation will be bolstered by the creation of this new hub. It will provide a focus for the efforts being made by the UK’s technology-led subsea supply chain that is already successfully diversifying across the energy sectors while complementing the strides being taken by the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult in the development of new solutions for the generation of clean energy from wind, wave and tidal resources.
“The UK subsea sector is heralded worldwide for its ability to deliver technologies and capabilities that improve operations and increase opportunities for developments in both traditional and new offshore energy sectors. Subsea companies from across the UK, with the notable clusters in North East Scotland and North East England, will be instrumental in the future success of the sector with this new hub providing a focal point for innovation.”