25 years of marine excellence

The UK’s biggest event for workboats and working vessels celebrates its quarter-century with a packed programme

The landmark 25th anniversary edition of Seawork, the UK’s leading event for workboats and working vessels, takes place over 11-13 June 2024 in Southampton, UK.

Its sister show Speed@Seawork, which focuses on fast vessels operating at high speed for security interventions, military use, and search and rescue, is being held the day beforehand, Monday 10 June.

Seawork 2023 expo

Seawork features a major trade show with the chance to see vessels in the water as well in the exhibition space, and also a conference with leading speakers addressing key issues in the marine sector.

HRH The Princess Royal will officially open the Seawork trade show and conference on Tuesday 11 June. The Princess Royal has visited Southampton many times, however, this will be her first visit to Mayflower Park for Seawork.

Damen completes Eidsvaag Opal conversion

Expertise on show
The exhibition at Seawork 2024 includes a number of key players well known in the aquaculture sector.

Family-owned Damen Shipyards Group has been in operation for over 90 years and offers maritime solutions worldwide, through design, shipbuilding, ship repair and related services. Damen operates 35 shipyards and 20 other companies in 20 countries, supported by a worldwide sales and service network. The group employs more than 12,500 people, bringing together a total production value of €2bn (£1.7bn) and delivering more than 140 ships in 2023.

Macduff Ship Design

Macduff Ship Design Ltd is a proven industry leader in the naval architecture and marine survey sectors, having worked for more than 30 years with owners, operators and shipyards globally. The company is based in Macduff in Scotland, at the heart of the UK aquaculture and fishing sectors.

Nauplius Workboats was founded in 2006 by Jaap van den Hul-Kuijten, marine engineer, and Gerrit Knol, Technical Director Nauplius, with the aim of changing the way boats are delivered.

No standard products are brought to a client, the company says, but there is always an open conversation with “needs and wishes” as a leading guide in design. Nauplius Workboats customises and is constantly developing designs to address practical needs.

Also represented is the Norway-based electric boat manufacturer Evoy; AlphaGeo, the UK-based re-seller of unmanned aerial vehicles, ROVs (underwater drones), survey equipment and software; and Brimmond/Heila Cranes which supplies standard and custom-built marine and offshore cranes.

Representing a whole sector of vessels is The Workboat Association, the trade, skills and safety standards association for the workboat industry.

Engine exhibit from the 2023 show

The conference programme
The conference programme this year will have cutting operating costs and reducing carbon emissions as its key themes, with the theme: “The Future Fuel Matrix & OPEX Reduction”.

Decarbonising operations to reduce emissions and costs remains top of the agenda at Seawork. These conferences will share insights and learnings on key themes that are at the forefront of discussions across the industry – and the programme will also include “Meet the UK Government” sessions.

The free-to-attend bite-size sessions will tackle how the latest regulations are driving change for fleet operators, vessel manufacturers and designers; what cutting edge technology is delivering for the commercial marine sector in the race to provide future fuel options; plus, the advantages and challenges with battery technology for commercial marine applications including workboats in meeting their day-to-day operational needs.

The main conference programme takes place on Wednesday 12 June.

Visitors at Seawork

Multiple UK government departments including the National Shipbuilding Office (NSO), Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) will be out in force at Seawork 2024.

A full programme of sessions is planned in Conference Room 1 on Tuesday 11 June.  This is open to all Seawork visitors, who can also drop by to the UK Government Zone in Hall 3 at any time during the event.

Seawork & Marine Civils offers a unique opportunity for exhibiting companies to meet with the above departments to discuss products and future plans.

Seawork exhibitors can apply for one-to-one meetings with the NSO, MOD Boats Team and the DBT experts via the online exhibitor manual.

Bakkafrost workboat

Career opportunities
Leading maritime trade event Seawork is delighted to be working with Maritime UK and the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to deliver another exciting careers event on the final day of Seawork, Thursday 13 June.

The European Commission has identified the need for investment in skills and career development in the Blue Economy, stating: “Our coasts and seas have the potential to deliver sustainable growth and jobs in the coming years and contribute towards the Green Deal objectives. This will only be possible if we invest in new blue skills and career development.”

Maritime businesses and organisations offer a wide range of different job opportunities and are always seeking to expand the skills base of existing and future employees.

The dedicated Careers Fair at Seawork 2023 brought students and young people aged between 15 and 19 from schools, colleges, training centres and universities across the UK to see first-hand what a job in the commercial marine industry could look like.

Seawork also hosts a Maritime Training & Careers Pavilion, sponsored by Jobs in Maritime, which is centrally located within the exhibition halls. There is also a Maritime Training & Careers Trail.

Evoy workboat

Awards set to launch
Also this year, Maritime UK will be launching the Maritime UK Solent Awards 2024, at Seawork, Europe’s largest on-water commercial marine and workboat exhibition.

On 11 June, network members and delegates are invited to join them to hear from previous winners, including Don Millar from Just Be Maritime, Start-Up for the Year winner in 2023.

Attendees will also hear from Portsmouth Sail Training Trust, Maritime UK Solent’s Charity of the Year, who will describe how being associated with Maritime UK Solent in the last year has furthered their work supporting disadvantaged young people.

The window to apply for the Maritime UK Solent Awards themselves opens on 24 June.

To book a place at Seawork 2024 or to find out more about the event, go online to seawork.com