Companies from across the United Kingdom have been announced as finalists in the 2025 Subsea Expo Awards which will be held in Aberdeen in February.
Organised by Global Underwater Hub, the leading trade and industry development body for the UK’s underwater sector, the prestigious annual event celebrates the achievements of companies and individuals that are leading the way in the country’s £9.2 billion industry.
The awards dinner will take place on Wednesday, 19 February at P&J Live in the Granite City as part of Subsea Expo, a three-day exhibition and conference showcasing the subsea sector and wider underwater industry. Eight awards will be presented at the black-tie event, to which over 550 guests are expected to attend. Several companies have been shortlisted in multiple categories.
The Company of the Year under 50 employees category sees nominations for Aberdeen companies AISUS Offshore and Verlume, which have been shortlisted alongside Torquay-based eco-engineering company ARC Marine.
Finalists in the Company of the Year over 50 employees category, sponsored by Viper Innovations, are Norwich-based marine geoscience and offshore construction support service firm Next Geosolutions, Aberdeen-headquartered technology and energy solutions provider Proserv and Newcastle-based subsea technology and engineering company SMD.
Recognising excellence in international trade, the Global Exports category sees C-Kore Systems, a Yorkshire firm that designs, manufactures and hires unique subsea test tools, shortlisted alongside electrical monitoring and asset integrity solutions provider Viper Innovations, which has offices in Bristol and Aberdeen.
The Rising Star Award recognises up and coming talent under the age of 35 working in the underwater industry. Nominated are Stuart Hamilton, service line director with Fugro in Aberdeen, Toby Wilson, a mechanical engineer with Proserv based in Great Yarmouth, and Abi Thompson, a Newcastle-based project manager with SMD.
Shortlisted in the Technology Development category, sponsored by C-Kore Systems, are Torquay-based ARC Marine, Newcastle firm SMD and UltramapGlobal, a subsea cable monitoring company headquartered in Newcastle. This award acknowledges excellence in developing a new technology and bringing it to market.
Acknowledging technology or innovations that can be applied in multiple underwater industries is the Cross Sector Innovation Award. This will be contested by three firms with offices in north-east Scotland, independent engineering consultancy Astrimar, geo-data specialist Fugro and marine technology company Kraken Robotics.
In the Safety category, sponsored by J+S Subsea, the finalists are Fugro, one of the world’s leading geo-data specialists, Peritus International, a Surrey-based global engineering services provider, and Quintham, a West Sussex firm working to improve fishing safety and protecting subsea assets in the energy industry.
An eighth award will also be presented during the ceremony to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the subsea and underwater industries during their career. The recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Contribution Award will be announced on the night.
Actor, writer, broadcaster and former MP Gyles Brandreth will provide entertainment during the evening. Famed for his colourful jerseys and sharp wit, Gyles has appeared on British television since the 1980s and is a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4 comedy panel show Just a Minute. With a wealth of stories from a long career in broadcasting and a five-year spell as an MP, guests are set to be kept entertained on the night.
Neil Gordon, chief executive of Global Underwater Hub, said: “The shortlisted finalists in the 2025 Subsea Expo Awards illustrate how the underwater industry reaches all parts of the UK and the diversity of businesses that support it. Our awards dinner in February is an opportunity for industry to come together to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of the individuals and businesses that are driving forward a sector that is helping deliver the energy transition.”
The awards are a highlight of the three-day Subsea Expo exhibition and conference which runs from Tuesday, 18 to Thursday, 20 February at P&J Live in Aberdeen, with the exhibition and the majority of conference sessions being free to attend. Around 6,000 visitors are expected to visit over the course of the event, which this year has the theme of Deep in Transition.
Tickets for the Subsea Expo Awards can be bought online at www.subseaexpo.com, with individual places or tables of 10 available.
