Preview III: Speaker Line‑up for the 11th International Forum on Diving, Salvage and Offshore Engineering Technology

Release Date: 21 October, 2026

Event: 9th International Underwater Operations & Offshore Industry Expo, 11th International Forum on Diving, Salvage and Offshore Engineering Technology

Venue: Qingdao International Convention Centre (Laoshan), Qingdao, China

Dates: 6‑8 November 2026

This release provides a partial preview of confirmed international speakers. Additional speaker announcements will be made in due course.

QINGDAO, China — The 9th International Underwater Operations & Offshore Industry Expo will take place from 6-8 November, alongside with the 11th International Forum on Diving, Salvage and Offshore Engineering Technology on 7 November 2026. Under the theme Intelligence in Deep Blue, Innovation for New Horizons, the Underwater Operations Session will bring together world‑renowned industry practitioners, safety specialists and technology innovators to share hands‑on insights covering commercial diving safety, saturation diver emergency response and digital transformation for offshore operations.

The forum combines opening‑ceremony keynote addresses in the morning with the dedicated Underwater Operations Session in the afternoon. Confirmed speakers comprise leading domestic emergency management authorities and veteran international industry practitioners, drawing decades of real‑world offshore, diving and spill response experience across China, Europe and the Asia‑Pacific, offering multi‑dimensional perspectives for diving contractors, vessel operators, training providers, equipment manufacturers, research institutes and safety regulators. Delegates are welcome to join the open sessions for knowledge exchange and face‑to‑face networking with global experts.

Confirmed Speakers

Mr. Zhou Shouwei

Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Expert in Offshore Petroleum Development

Mr. Zhou is a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, vice president of the 9th National Committee of the China Association for Science and Technology, former Deputy General Manager of member of the party committee of China National Offshore Oil Corporation, as well as Director of the Energy and Mining Engineering Academic Division of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He has been dedicated to the research on the technology and equipment used for offshore oil and gas development, winning the Special Prize of the National Science and Technology Award once, First-level Prize once, and Second-level Prize five times.   

Title of the Speech: Towards Deep Blue: Green Development

Abstract: Against the backdrop of offshore engineering advancing into deep waters and the global green energy transition, the speaker puts forward three new directions for the deepwater development of offshore engineering:

1. Vigorously develop the Floating Production Liquefied Natural Gas (FPLNG) industry;

2. New technologies for deep-sea carbon dioxide sequestration and storage;

3. Promising prospects for deep-water tension-leg floating wind turbines.

Mr. Li Huajun

Professor at Ocean University of China with expertise in ocean engineering and a member of Chinese Academy of Engineering

Having engaged in research on ocean engineering structures, hydrodynamics, safety and disaster prevention technologies, Mr. Li has addressed major national needs for ocean resource development with outstanding contributions to the design, construction, safe operation and maintenance of novel marine engineering structures, which enhanced the theoretical and technical level as well as major engineering practical capabilities in the field of ocean engineering.

He has published over 300 papers and authored 5 books. More than 100 national invention patents have been acknowledged, among which results of his 5 patents have been incorporated into 5 national industry standards. Mr. Li has been recognized by National Science and Technology Award three times, winning the highest science and technology award in Shandong Province once, the first prizes of provincial and ministerial level science and technology awards eight times. He also won the He Liang He Li Innovation Award, and Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Award. He was acknowledged the national model worker, granted the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, and recruited as the Distinguished Professor of “The Yangtze River Scholar" .

Currently he concurrently serves as Chairman of the Teaching Guidance Committee for Ocean Engineering Majors in Higher Education under the Ministry of Education, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Society of Oceanography, Vice President of China Diving and Salvage Association, and Vice Chairman of the Chinese Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers.

Title of Speech: Intelligence in Deep Blue, Innovation for New Horizons: China's Ocean Engineering Innovation and Global Collaboration

Abstract: This keynote addresses China’s ocean engineering innovation and future pathways from the perspective of global sustainable blue development. It first examines the 2025 global marine economy and China’s contribution: the gross ocean product exceeded 11 trillion RMB, the added value of ocean engineering equipment manufacturing reached 185.8 billion RMB. The report then highlights breakthroughs in deepwater survey, far-sea offshore wind, deep-sea equipment, and manned submersibles. It identifies six key technology clusters: Deep Blue Intelligence—deep-sea intelligent sensing, communication, and swarm collaboration; Deep Blue Power—underwater energy and propulsion; Deep Blue Foundation—novel deep-sea materials and reliability; Deep Blue Operations—subsea installation and deep-sea engineering; Deep Blue Platform—far-sea high-end equipment and green ships; and Deep Blue Integration—AI-powered smart ocean and interdisciplinary convergence. The report further analyzes major challenges, including core technology innovation, high-end equipment R&D, and green-intelligent transformation. Finally, from three dimensions—international organization coordination, mutual recognition of technical standards, and engineering capacity going global—it explores global collaboration pathways in diving, salvage, and ocean engineering. It calls for deepened cooperation with ADCI, IMCA, and other international organizations to jointly build an open and inclusive global ocean engineering innovation ecosystem.