The Global Underwater Hub (GUH) and Subsea Innovation Cluster Australia (SICA) have formalised a landmark partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at accelerating growth and innovation across the subsea sectors of both nations.
The agreement unites GUH, representing the UK’s £9.2 billion (AU$19 billion) underwater industry, with SICA’s network of Australian subsea companies to foster cross-hemisphere collaboration in energy transition, defence, and critical infrastructure protection.
Under the MoU, the organisations will prioritise market access for their respective supply chains, enabling members to capitalise on opportunities in offshore energy, decommissioning, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and offshore wind.
Collaborative innovation programs will be established to develop technologies suited to both regions, with a focus on sustainability and operational efficiency.
GUH CEO Neil Gordon emphasised Australia’s “broad conventional energy mix” and net-zero ambitions, highlighting synergies with the UK’s energy transition strategy.
Key opportunities include sustained oil and gas production led by operators like Woodside and Santos, alongside 18 planned CCS projects addressing high CO₂ levels in regional gas fields.
Offshore wind development is another critical focus, with 11 GW of projects in progress across South East and Western Australia requiring subsea cables, foundations, and survey systems for over 700 turbines.
Decommissioning efforts in Australia present further potential, with an inventory of 1,500 wells, 4,500 km of pipelines, and structures requiring specialised technologies for plugging, cutting, and recovery.
Defense collaboration under the AUKUS alliance and telecoms infrastructure projects in Western Australia — a hub for undersea links to Asia and Africa — add to the diversified market landscape.
Colin McIvor, SICA Cluster Manager, underscored the partnership’s role in combining SICA’s agility in cross-sector innovation with GUH’s global networks and five decades of subsea expertise.
“This MoU opens opportunities for knowledge sharing, international market access, and impactful growth in both established and emerging industries,” he stated.
Gordon noted that environmental sustainability, rather than extreme water depths, drives demand in both regions.
Australian operators seek UK expertise in subsea engineering, inspection, and maintenance, reflecting shared priorities for resilient energy systems and secure critical infrastructure.
The collaboration positions UK and Australian firms to lead in delivering scalable solutions for a global subsea sector increasingly shaped by decarbonisation and technological advancement.
