Using AI to enhance heavy assets and forge a sustainable blue economy

The world's oceans are the lifeblood of our planet, cradling immense biodiversity and regulating the global climate. But they are also a critical engine of the global economy, supporting livelihoods and enabling international commerce through a vast network of "heavy assets" – from offshore energy platforms and pipelines to colossal shipping fleets and sprawling port infrastructures.

For decades, the narrative surrounding these industries has often been one of impact versus necessity. But what if we could reframe this? What if technological ingenuity, specifically artificial intelligence (AI), could help us navigate toward a future in which economic vitality and ecological stewardship are not opposing forces, but symbiotic partners?

The legacy of our industrial presence in the marine environment is undeniable. Offshore oil and gas operations have powered nations, but they have also left an environmental footprint. The global shipping fleet, the workhorse of international trade, is a significant contributor to emissions. Ports, those vital gateways for goods, have historically expanded with considerable coastal impact. Acknowledging these impacts is not about assigning blame, but about recognizing the starting point for a necessary evolution.

These industries are not monoliths of environmental disregard; they are complex ecosystems of human endeavour, representing trillions in investment, decades of accumulated operational expertise and the livelihoods of millions worldwide.

A sustainable future for our oceans cannot mean simply shutting down these vital sectors. Instead, it demands a smarter, more balanced approach – one that leverages innovation to transform existing assets and practices, fostering economically sustainable change that benefits both the oceans and those who depend on them.

This is where the transformative potential of AI-driven co-innovation comes into play. AI is not just another tool; it is capable of bridging the gap between traditional industrial operations and the burgeoning sustainable blue economy. It offers the intelligence to reimagine the lifecycle and utility of our existing heavy assets, turning potential liabilities into springboards for green growth.

Consider the vast network of aging offshore oil and gas platforms. Traditional decommissioning is an expensive and often disruptive process. But AI offers a different path. Sophisticated algorithms and digital twin technology can assess the structural integrity of these platforms with unprecedented accuracy, modeling their suitability for entirely new purposes.

Imagine these steel giants reborn as foundations for offshore wind turbines, hubs for green hydrogen production, sites for carbon capture and storage or even thriving centres for sustainable aquaculture. Initiatives like the University of Houston’s Repurposing Offshore Infrastructure for Continued Energy (ROICE) project, which models the conversion of Gulf of Mexico platforms for clean energy industry use, are already demonstrating this potential.

This isn't just an environmental win. It's smart economics to leverage sunk capital and existing infrastructure to accelerate the energy transition and create new revenue streams from old infrastructure.

The maritime shipping industry, under pressure to decarbonize, is also finding a powerful ally in AI. Intelligent voyage optimization systems are already charting more fuel-efficient routes, cutting emissions and operational costs simultaneously. AI-driven predictive maintenance keeps engines running at peak efficiency, while generative AI is even helping design the next generation of vessels optimized for alternative fuels and energy-saving devices.

Ports are also becoming smarter. AI can orchestrate vessel traffic, automate cargo handling and optimise energy consumption. This reduces congestion, lowers emissions and enhances global trade efficiency. This is not about curtailing trade, but about making it more sustainable and resilient.

Decades of operating in harsh offshore environments have endowed these ocean-focused industries with unparalleled expertise in engineering, logistics and safety. AI, particularly through natural language processing, can mine this wealth of information from technical reports, maintenance logs and operational data, translating it into actionable insights for emerging sectors like offshore renewables.

This could accelerate the learning curve, reduce risks and ensure past investments in human capital continue to yield dividends in a sustainable future. It’s about ensuring that the skills and experience of today’s workforce become the foundation for tomorrow’s green maritime jobs.

This AI-powered transformation is fundamentally about building a more circular and symbiotic blue economy. It’s about designing new marine infrastructure with an eye toward easier disassembly and material reuse, guided by AI-driven lifecycle assessments. It’s about the potential for agentic AI (that is, AI empowered to conduct transactions) to orchestrate complex, co-located operations on multi-use offshore platforms.

Imagine a repurposed structure hosting a wind farm, a hydrogen plant and an aquaculture facility, all managed by intelligent agents for optimal resource sharing and minimal environmental impact. This is "blue industrial symbiosis" in action, where the outputs of one activity become inputs for another, fostering unprecedented efficiency and ecological harmony.

Of course, this journey requires more than just technology. It demands enabling policy frameworks that streamline regulations for repurposing and co-location, clear pathways for liability transfer and create incentives that encourage cross-sector collaboration.

Strategic public and private investment is needed to fund the research, development and deployment of these AI solutions. Above all, it requires a shift in mindset to a collective embrace of the idea that economic growth and environmental preservation can, and indeed must, advance together.

The future of our oceans, and the industries that operate within them, hinges on our ability to innovate and adapt. AI provides the intelligent anchor we need, allowing us to secure the economic contributions of our heavy marine assets while steering them toward a more sustainable and prosperous horizon.

By fostering co-innovation, we can ensure that these industries not only continue to support global needs and livelihoods, but also become active partners in the preservation and revitalization of the marine world. It’s a challenging voyage, but with AI as our navigator, it’s one that promises a healthier ocean and a more resilient blue economy for generations to come.