Wales’ Port of Milford Haven announced on August 28 that Pembroke Port, which it owns and operates, had partnered with Global Underwater Hub (GUH) to host an event focused on the Welsh subsea supply chain.
The event will allow Welsh subsea supply chain players to engage directly with GUH – a trade and industry development body for the UK’s underwater industries.
The aim is to allow companies involved in the supply chain to learn how GUH resources, networks and industry insights can benefit subsea operations.
The introductory event will run on September 12 from 9-11am, starting with a breakfast sponsored by Williams Shipping, a marine services and logistics company that has a base at Pembroke Port.
“This is a great chance for the Welsh subsea supply chain industry to get together with likeminded people and learn more about not only Global Underwater Hub, but also Pembroke Port and the great businesses that are based here like Williams Shipping,” stated Pembroke Port’s commercial manager, Sharon Adams.
The event comes shortly after GUH – the successor organisation to Subsea UK – has expanded into the UK’s Southwest with a new office in Bristol. It is being billed as an opportunity for attendees to explore new opportunities for growth and collaboration.
According to its website, GUH is aiming to “create a step-change in the growth and internationalisation of UK underwater expertise, technologies, services and skills,” as well as driving innovation to accelerate the energy transition.
Milford Haven
The Port of Milford Haven, meanwhile, is the UK’s leading energy port, as well as being Wales’ busiest, handling around 20% of the UK’s seaborne trade in oil and gas.
Along with Pembroke Port, the Port of Milford Haven also owns and operates Milford Dock. Together, Pembroke Port and Milford Dock provide services such as cargo handling, ferry operations, fish landing and cruise calls, as well as a marina.
With decarbonisation picking up momentum, ports are increasingly seen as playing a central role in the energy transition – and ports that are already major energy industry hubs potentially even more so.
Recent developments for the Port of Milford Haven include the launch of the Pembroke Dock Marine development in late August, described as a “multi-purpose, future energy ready hub focused on innovation and operational efficiency”.
Floating wind potential
And earlier, in March, the Welsh government announced a further £1m funding to explore the potential of floating offshore wind. The Port of Milford Haven said at the time that it would match-fund this grant for ground investigation works forming part of preparatory work to enable future floating offshore wind projects to be deployed from Pembroke Port.
The latest announcement about the GUH event shows that the industry group is also eyeing the region’s potential as the energy transition accelerates.
“The UK’s £8b underwater industry is a diverse space that covers the offshore energy, defence, aquaculture, marine science and subsea cable sectors,” stated GUH’s business development director, Andy Williamson.
“As the leading trade and industry development body for the UK’s £8b underwater industry, Global Underwater Hub is keen to engage with companies that see the potential for their technology or services to be utilised in these areas.
“Developments in offshore wind in the Celtic Sea and potential tidal power generation off the Pembrokeshire coast illustrate the market opportunities that exist for companies in south Wales to engage in the underwater industry. This joint event with Pembroke Port is an ideal platform for us to outline these and showcase the support we can offer from our Bristol office.”
