(WO) – Later today, Tuesday, this year’s Deepwater Development Conference (DD) enters its first half-day in Lisbon with a significant expansion in activity underway across the globe. Hosted by World Oil and its parent, Gulf Energy Information (GEI), DD provides the upstream industry with the premier forum for discussion and examination of the latest technology developments and activity trends in deepwater exploration, drilling and production.
Fig. 1. At last year’s Deepwater Development Conference in Madrid, attendees listened to the initial Operators Panel give their thoughts and views on a plethora of topics.
Activity upswing. World Oil’s own data from our February forecast indicate that deepwater oil and gas activity is on a significant upward trend. For instance, in a sample group of six countries with significant deepwater drilling—Brazil, the U.S., Guyana, Nigeria, Angola and Namibia—the number of deepwater wells expected this year is expected to rise 20.5%. Compare this rate to the 4.8% increase predicted for all offshore drilling worldwide.
Then, one should look at the rise in deepwater production rates. In our sample group of deepwater-oriented countries that have established oil production (minus Namibia), output of deepwater fields rose 11.2% in 2025, compared to 2024’s level. This compares to the total global oil production rate that gained 2.3%. Clearly, the deepwater segment of the upstream industry has the wind at its back.
First day topics. The first half-day begins today at 2:00 pm, Lisbon time. After opening remarks by GEI President & CEO John Royall, an industry overview of the deepwater sector will be provided by Obo Idornigie, Senior V.P. for Energy Trends & Analysis at Welligence. A highlight of the day will follow with the Operators Panel (Fig. 1), featuring senior-level panelists from Galp, Eni, Petrobras and Woodside Energy. After a coffee break, what should be a very enlightening keynote address will be delivered by Gary Archer, V.P. of Subsea Production Systems at OneSubsea. He will talk about “building deepwater’s next chapter.”
In another special session in the late afternoon, senior managers from Azule Energy, TechnipFMC and Eni will share case studies and lessons learned from a variety of significant deepwater projects. GEI President & CEO John Royall will provide a short wrap-up of the day’s sessions.
Fig. 2. Lunch and coffee breaks offer delegates additional opportunities to network and share operational stories.
Second and third days’ topics. DD will continue for full days of informative sessions on Wednesday (March 11) and Thursday (March 12). Wednesday’s lineup features a keynote talk on the 40-year history of FPSO’s and what comes next from MODEC Business Development Director and deepwater veteran Boyd Howell. Following his talk, another highlight of Wednesday will be the Contractors’ Panel, featuring participants from McDermott, MODEC, SBM Offshore and OneSubsea. Following that panel, presentations on Subsea Engineering Innovations will be delivered by senior managers from Bosch Rexroth AG, CCB Subsea AS, Oceaneering and McDermott. After lunch (Fig. 2), GEI President & CEO John Royall will demonstrate the World Oil AI platform and its many benefits. He will be followed by presentations on Subsea Technologies from Saipem, OneSubsea, Petrobras and NOV. In the late afternoon, the Digitalization session will feature discussions on the latest innovations and issues from executives with Elementz, Aize, FutureOn and Subsea7.
Thursday’s lineup will kick off with what should be a riveting discussion on Malaysia’s deepwater sector from Petronas executive Budi Mawardi Nasron. He will be followed by a session on Reducing Carbon Emissions. It will include presentations from senior managers at TotalEnergies, OneSubsea, SBM Offshore, and Carbon Clean. Another highlight of the conference will be the late-morning session on floating facilities, FPSOs and mooring systems. A range of important topics will come from senior managers at ABS, MODEC, Wood, and Sonardyne International Limited. After lunch, speakers from 2H Offshore, MODEC, DNV and NOV will speak on challenges and solutions to a number of situations involving pipelines, flowlines and risers.
After the mid-afternoon coffee break, Thursday saves some of the best for last with another Operators Panel examining The Next Wave of Deepwater Growth. Senior officials from Chevron, Petronas and TotalEnergies will offer their well-informed perspectives. Yours truly will finish off the conference with come closing remarks.
