Seawork 2019 expected to attract thousands

EUROPE’S biggest marine and workboat exhibition and conference is expected to draw almost 8,000 people to Southampton in the coming days.

Seawork, in its 22nd year, comes to Mayflower Park from Tuesday, June 11, to Wednesday, June 13.

More than 7,700 marine professionals are expected in the city, as exhibitors show their latest developments, formulate new projects, sign contracts and confirm partnerships.

There will be more than 70 vessels and floating plant on display and afloat for trial. Demonstrations will take place on a specially built marina.

This year, the Marine and Costal Civil Engineering Expo (M&CCE) will run alongside Seawork. It is described as Europe’s leading event dedicated to showcasing equipment for marine, coastal and other challenging civil engineering projects with unique landscape features.

Seawork’s sister event, Speed&Seawork 2019, is devoted to vessels operating at high speed for security interventions and search and rescue. It is a networking event supported by the Ministry of Defence and begins on Monday, June 10, with sea trials in the Solent of 15 vessels and marine technology from the US and Europe. It is followed by a half-day conference on Tuesday.

Wednesday, June 12, sees Seawork Commercial Marine Conference sessions, focusing on the future of hybrid propulsion and the commercial use of unmanned surface vehicles (USV). The USV market is expected to be worth around a billion US dollars by 2022.

Wednesday also sees Sue Terpilowski, interview panellist on BBC television’s The Apprentice and chair of the Women’s Task Group, appear at Seawork’s Women in Marine Industry event to speak about promoting diversity in the marine industry and associated sectors.

The free Seawork’s Women in Marine Industry networking event takes place on Wednesday, 3.30-5pm, at the Maritime Journal lounge stand.

Seawork is made possible by participation from the Department of International Trade, Ministry of Defence and the Royal Navy, with international trade experts on hand for one-to-one sessions.

For the general public, there is a Cardboard Boat Regatta at the Seawork Marina on Wednesday at 5pm, with exhibitors and the public invited to race. There are prizes for the fastest boat and the best bedecked boat as well as the Soggy Bottom Award.