The origins of the subsea sector go back as far as 1940. However, until 1978, subsea systems were quite rudimentary and certainly not suited to the demands of current production systems nor the environment. All that changed in 1978 through the introduction of what was considered at the time to be highly innovative game changing technology, which radically changed the way in which the industry thinks and operates.
Today, we see projects exploiting valuable reserves in depths extending to some 3,000 metres in harsh and highly complex environments. These achievements are based on solid foundations set out some 45 years ago but in applications that were not thought possible until recently.
Modern subsea production systems are highly sophisticated and use advanced technologies, well beyond even those envisaged by anyone in the early days of subsea development. This use of advanced technologies and the mass of strategic knowledge that has been built up has accelerated the development of deepwater fields around the world, where the UK is a leading player with world class skills and knowledge, as well as products.
