Page 11: of Marine News Magazine (September 2026)

10 12

Washington Watch

NOIA

The Gulf of America Remains the

World’s Offshore Innovation Laboratory

For generations, the Gulf of America has served as the proving ground for offshore innovation. Every major chapter in modern offshore energy has depended upon

American engineers, geoscientists, mariners, fabricators, regulators, and offshore workers to solve problems many believed were beyond reach.

By Erik Milito, President of National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA)

From the earliest ? xed platforms to deepwater produc- ducing tremendous volumes of U.S. oil supplies, with ad- tion, subsea systems, ? oating facilities, and today’s 20,000 ditional projects advancing toward ? rst production. The psi reservoirs, the Gulf of America has consistently dem- ingenuity of our industry consistently continues to impress onstrated that producing more American energy safely re- and build upon the most recent generation of technology quires constant technological advancement. to keep the energy ? owing. The same is true for 20k sys-

The foundation built through decades of offshore en- tems as the industry has engineered a new generation and ergy innovation will support not only the next generation class of offshore technologies.

of oil and gas production, but the next generation of off- New generations of drillships, well control equipment, shore industries. subsea trees, manifolds, completion systems, digital moni-

Over the past decade, the offshore energy industry qui- toring technologies, and containment capabilities all had etly achieved one of its most remarkable engineering mile- to be designed, tested, certi? ed, and deployed before stones: safely unlocking oil and natural gas from reservoirs the ? rst barrel could be produced. Operators, contrac- approaching 20,000 pounds per square inch (20k). Fields tors, manufacturers, and regulators spent years working once considered commercially unattainable are now pro- through new challenges that had not yet been solved at a © kittikunfoto / Adobe Stock www.marinelink.com MN 11|