The ocean is a valuable resource for the human race. It covers more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, accounts for more than a quarter of the oil and gas extracted worldwide, is a major source of food for the human race, and carries sea trade that accounts for 90% of global world trade. Technological advancement in areas such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, robotics and automation, advanced manufacturing, and materials and energy storage is transforming operating concepts and making the ocean safer and more accessible economically. The pace of transformation, particularly in smart, remotely controlled or autonomous systems, is likely to accelerate in the face of increased demands by the global economy for greater manpower, operational and market resilience in a post COVID-19 pandemic world.

The impact of rising sea levels due to climate change is also expected to drive the demand for resilient, smart and innovative coastal infrastructure adaptable to the threats of climate change and yet able to generate high socio-economic value. They may include mega-scale floating systems that can provide quality living environments for “live, work and play” and host essential utility services such as water and power.

Moving into the future, TCOMS envisages that many physical systems currently operated independently by man would be replaced by smart cyber-physical systems. A much deeper knowledge of the behaviour, response and reliability of the operating systems will be needed to better design future ocean systems and solutions capable of performing in complex and challenging marine environments.