When looking out over the North Sea at night, you may see little more than the red lights of wind turbines on the horizon. But that image represents only a drop in the ocean of what is actually happening at sea. Energy, nature, food, shipping, infrastructure, safety and innovation all come together in this increasingly busy space. At the Offshore Experience 2026 in Den Helder, one question therefore took centre stage: how do we make Multi-Use of the North Sea a reality, and how do we move from romance to realism?
Multi-Use means bringing together different functions and interests within the limited space of the North Sea. While that may sound straightforward, the reality is complex. Not everything can happen everywhere, and different interests, responsibilities and systems are closely interconnected. The programme of the Offshore Experience explored these challenges through three themes: Powerhouse, Food & Nature, and Resilience.
One message came through time and again: collaboration is not simply a prerequisite; it is essential to success. Safety and resilience, for example, can only be strengthened when organisations understand their role within the wider chain and take responsibility for the system as a whole. This raised important questions throughout the sessions: Who am I within this chain? Where does my responsibility lie? And what role can I play?
This holistic perspective is equally important when developing new projects. We should not only consider what an individual project can deliver, but also how it contributes to the wider maritime and offshore sector. How can energy, nature, food production, infrastructure and safety reinforce one another rather than simply coexist alongside each other?
The discussions on resilience highlighted just how important these connections are. As more infrastructure and functions are brought together at sea, we need to look beyond individual risks and prepare for potential cascading effects when multiple systems fail simultaneously. This requires preparation, but above all, it requires organisations and stakeholders to know each other and be able to work together when it matters most.
Moving from romance to realism does not mean lowering our ambitions. Quite the opposite. It means turning those ambitions into concrete action: experimenting together, sharing knowledge, taking responsibility and moving faster. It also means allowing ourselves to look at challenges from different perspectives, and sometimes to approach them with a lighter mindset. That space for new ways of thinking can lead to new ideas and practical solutions.
The Offshore Experience made clear that a great deal is already happening on and around the North Sea. The challenge now is to connect these initiatives, knowledge and perspectives and move from conversation to action. As was aptly put during the day: “It is no longer five to twelve, but five past twelve.” The time for simply discussing what needs to be done has passed. Now is the time to take responsibility together, build connections and turn ideas into action.
For Campus@Sea, that is precisely the power of collaboration: bringing people, disciplines and perspectives together to work towards a safe, sustainable and future-proof North Sea. We greatly enjoyed being part of this year’s Offshore Experience and were inspired by the many discussions, ideas and connections throughout the day. We look forward to building on these conversations and to seeing everyone again at next year’s edition!
Campus@Sea
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info@campusatsea.nl