We are delighted to announce that the full session programme for the 2026 IMCA Global Summit has been released. This year's theme, Raising Standards. Empowering People. Sustaining the Future, will guide two days of discussion and technical insight that help address the sector’s challenges as well as future opportunities and trends.
The Summit will open with a panel session on IMCA’s 2030 Strategy between IMCA President Hugo Bouvy, Board Member Cinthya Lopes and CEO Iain Grainger who will discuss how IMCA will chart a course for 2030 and define how we will bring Members together to advance technical excellence and global standardisation, champion a safe, skilled, and diverse workforce, and support sustainability and operational efficiency.
Sessions on People will focus on mental health, skills, and initiatives to support early career professionals and on how to bring new talent into the offshore industry. The session on the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will explore the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape shaping maritime decarbonisation, with a focus on key developments at both EU and IMO level. It will examine topics such as the expansion of the EU Emissions Trading System to shipping and progress on the IMO’s Net Zero Framework, including emerging global measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Decarbonisation and Sustainability will further thread through both days, with sessions on alternative fuels, energy efficiency, emissions reporting and the practicalities of compliance, alongside circularity, biodiversity protection and supply chain sustainability.
Safety and Security sessions will explore where SIF risk is emerging, how leading companies are responding, and what practical steps can make the greatest difference offshore. They will also consider critical controls, meaningful KPIs, leadership, human factors and frontline engagement and will include a panel discussion on practical harm prevention.
AI’s impact in the industry and its offshore application options will feature heavily at this year’s summit, starting with a keynote presentation by Saravan Penubarthi and Marius Five. Keynote speakers will also include Chris Jewell, one of the divers at the centre of the 2018 rescue of twelve boys trapped inside the flooded Tham Luang cave system in Thailand. Drawing on more than a decade of cave exploration across the world, Chris will speak to delegates on leadership mindset, resilience, teamwork and performing under pressure.
Diving sessions will explore lessons learned from decommissioning projects and mental fitness offshore including the operational realities of offshore life, such as isolation, fatigue, shift work, limited privacy, family pressures, stigma, and job insecurity.
The Dynamic Positioning programme will cover Competence, access, and operational performance and dynamic positioning operations within offshore wind farms.
The ROV, MASS and Autonomy stream is one of the broadest on the agenda covering how remote operations are converging to support safe, smarter, and more scalable offshore subsea operations. In this session delegates will learn how smart robotic composite repairs offer a practical alternative to restore pipeline integrity, how the next-generation of remote operations centres can connect pilots, engineers, survey teams, and clients, and learn how simulator-based ROV training is utilising realistic physics-based environments, configurable missions, and flexible instructor-led setups to strengthen ROV/ROC competence development.
Survey sessions will examine the workforce challenges facing the discipline, with a strong focus on people and how initiatives can inspire potential candidates to fill hydrographic roles.
Delegates can take advantage of extensive networking opportunities across the two days, and during the Gala Dinner on the evening of 28 October. The dinner will feature the IMCA Awards, which are designed to recognise excellence within the marine contracting industry, highlight outstanding achievements, and promote best practice.
