What’s Next for Offshore Energy? Clarksons’ Experts Share Their Outlook in an Exclusive Fireside Conversation in International Shipping News 06/02/2026 As global energy demand continues to rise, the way the world powers itself is becoming increasingly complex. In Clarksons’ latest fireside chat, senior leaders from across offshore oil, gas and renewables came together to discuss what offshore energy security looks like today and what it will mean in the years ahead. One clear theme emerged, despite rapid growth in renewables, the global energy system is still supported by fossil fuels. Demand for oil, gas and electricity is still there. “We are still very much living in a world dominated by fossil fuels. Energy demand is growing, oil demand is growing, gas demand is growing – and fundamentally, we are not investing enough today to meet the demand of tomorrow.” Erik Tønne , Managing Director, Market Analysis Offshore Against this backdrop, energy security has moved sharply up political agendas reshaping investment priorities. The discussion explored how geopolitics is influencing energy markets in real time. Offshore wind was a key focus of the conversation. While the sector has matured significantly over the past two decades, panellists noted that progress has not been straight forward. Cost pressures, political headwinds and supply chain constraints have introduced new challenges, particularly in Europe and the United States. However, offshore wind remains a critical part of future energy systems. Renewables are also gaining momentum across Asia-Pacific. Markets such as Taiwan and South Korea are emerging, driven by industrial demand and the need to secure reliable, independent power supply. “Offshore wind remains essential, but the transition is taking longer than many expected. We need a little bit of everything – and we need to accept that reality.” Frederik C. Andersen, Managing Director, Renewables Importantly, the panellists are aligned that offshore oil and gas and renewables are not competing industries. Instead, all emphasised their increasing interdependence, from shared infrastructure and vessels to common challenges around capital, supply chains and workforce capacity. The fireside chat ultimately painted a picture of an energy system in transition – not from one source to another, but towards greater scale and resilience. Source: Clarksons 2026-02-06 hellenicshippingnews... window.___gcfg = {lang: 'en-US'}; (function(w, d, s) { function go(){ var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], load = function(url, id) { if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.src = url; js.id = id; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }; load('//connect.facebook.net/en/all.js#xfbml=1', 'fbjssdk'); load('https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js', 'gplus1js'); load('//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js', 'tweetjs'); } if (w.addEventListener) { w.addEventListener("load", go, false); } else if (w.attachEvent) { w.attachEvent("onload",go); } }(window, document, 'script')); tweet Share