UTC2021, 16 – 17 June – Less than two weeks away!
In this article – you can read about the technical program which will feature on Day 2, June 17th. This year’s technical programme is not to be missed, so make sure to register NOW.
Note that the recordings from UTC2021 also will be made available on demand after it has been broadcasted in CET, so global participation has never been easier! Afternoon time slots have been created to facilitate for time zone networking overlap. The broadcasting platform is state-of-the art, enabling easy and intuitive person-to-person interactivity. The participants can easily navigate between sessions, live discussion forums, virtual exhibitions and person-to-person interactions. UTC2021, 16 – 17 June will definitely not be a run-of-the-mill digital seminar!
The remotely operated digital future – today
It’s 2025. All new subsea tiebacks and processing applications are all-electric and remotely operated, many are powered by a local energy source, such as offshore wind, wave or tidal energy, or renewable power from shore. Maintenance and repair are limited because we’re using AI-driven predictive maintenance supported, when a visual inspection or physical intervention is required, by in-field, on-demand semi-autonomous surface and subsea resident robotics, managed from remote operations centres, 24/7.

If this sounds far-fetched, you should join this year’s UTC’s technical sessions! Our remote operations and digital themed technical sessions, with speakers from Ocean Infinity, C-Power, Techni and Saipem, will take a deep dive into the hardware needed, from remote power generation, storage and management through to how we can overcome challenges around command and control of uncrewed surface and underwater robotics, as well as that perennial problem – ensuring battery powered valves will operate, without a power line to the surface and if wired communications fail.
Our technical speakers, from Equinor, Lundin, TechnipFMC, FutureOn, Noreton Straw and ERDMeseo, will also delve into the opportunities and challenges around going digital and creating truly digital twins.
That includes dealing with how to open the data channels, such as through a collaboration with a number of subsea suppliers, software developers and active industry groups, including the IOGP, OSDU and CFIHOS, to create an open, standard, metadata reference library.
They’ll also look at what’s needed to enable predictive analytics when sensor data isn’t available, data security and governance, use of AI and ML and how use of simulation can accelerate product or field development.
But, it’s not all about signals and data. Hardware in the digital domain could also make a difference. We’ll hear how using fibre optics could open up new ways to monitor subsea infrastructure, in turn, influencing future design parameters.
As you can see, there’s a lot of scope to cover – and this is just within our remote operation and digital themed technical sessions. Keep an eye out for our next update to hear more about our other technical sessions!
UTC 2021 is live through June 16-17. UTC is co-organised by the Underwater Technology Foundation (UTF) and GCE Ocean Technology, supported by the City of Bergen. Register today here.