Offshore Energy Asia 2026 ran across two days at Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu, bringing together industry leaders, government representatives and energy specialists from across Asia for the conference’s third consecutive year. Organised by ApexOne with Ezra & Macquarie, the programme ran under the theme Integrating Floating Energy Solutions for the New Energy Transition Era — a deliberately practical brief for a sector weighing energy security against the move to lower-carbon operations. Where day one set out the vision, day two turned to delivery.
Day one — setting the vision
After the safety briefing, Dr. Ricky Gouthaman, Group Managing Director of Ezra & Macquarie, opened proceedings with the ApexOne Asia introduction, setting the tone for two days of dialogue and partnership. Dato’ Mohamed Sabri Zain, Chief Executive Officer of Yinson Energy and Conference Chairman, followed with a welcome address on how far the platform has come and where the industry is heading.
The Conference Guest of Honour, YB Datuk Dr. Hj. Hazland Bin Hj. Abang Hipni, Deputy Minister for Energy and Environmental Sustainability, Sarawak, delivered the opening address, speaking to the region’s ambitions in a shifting energy landscape. A keynote from Ir. Ts. Haji Mazri bin Mohd Ali, Senior General Manager, Production & Operations Management at Malaysia Petroleum Management (MPM), PETRONAS, and a special presentation by Mr. Faisal Abdul Rahman, Chief Executive Officer of Sabah International Petroleum, rounded out the morning.
Three panels, one conversation
The heart of the day was a trio of panel discussions that carried delegates from late morning through to the afternoon.
Panel Session 1 — Industry Updates & Leadership, moderated by Ms. Ally Chen, Principal Consultant at Rystad Energy, opened the floor to senior figures including Mr. Eruwan Gerry Norsen, Head of PETRONAS Sabah, for a candid read on where the sector is heading.
After a lunch sponsored by Franklin Offshore, Panel Session 2 — Future of Project Insurance, Bankability & Contract turned to the commercial machinery behind floating energy. Moderated by Adjunct Professor Ts. Anwarudin Saidu Mohamed of Reservoir Link Group, it drew panellists from MODEC, Yinson Holdings, AFFIN Bank Group, CIMB and the Shapoorji Pallonji Group.
Floating energy is moving from concept to commitment — and the conversation in Kota Kinabalu reflected that shift.
The day’s technical high point came with Panel Session 3 — Technology & Innovation, moderated by Ir. Saifulbahari Abdul Hamid of OceanSTAR Elite, featuring Datuk Capt. Rozali Hamzah (OceanSTAR), Ir. Arul Jothy Suppiah (NGL Tech), Mr. Park Youngkyu (KBR APAC) and Dr. Rongrong Jiang (Bureau Veritas), who walked the room through floating production and low-carbon concepts.
Day one reflected the scale the conference has reached: a technical committee of 11, six moderators, roughly 26 panellists, 11 sponsors and 24 participating companies. Between sessions, the conversation spilled into the coffee breaks and exhibition space, where delegates traded cards and reconnected. As the sessions closed, the day gave way to a Networking & Cocktail reception hosted by Ezra & Macquarie on the hotel’s rooftop terrace, as the sun set over the Kota Kinabalu waterfront.
Day two — from vision to delivery
The morning opened with a welcome from Conference Chairman Dato’ Mohamed Sabri Zain, followed by a Special Opening Address from Pn. Faizah Binti Ramlee, General Manager, Strategy, Planning & Commercial, Carbon Management Division, PETRONAS.
From FLNG to the field
Panel Session 4 — FLNG & CCU, moderated by Mr. Ronald Chew, Senior Business Development Manager at KBR Inc., brought together Mr. Jason Liu Xiao Gang (Wison New Energies), Mr. Ariff Hakim Zainuddin (PETRONAS Floating LNG 1) and Mr. Rakesh Mishra (DNV) on floating LNG, with Mr. Emil Talberg (Yinson Production) on carbon capture and utilisation.
After a coffee break, Panel Session 5 — Operations & Maintenance, moderated by Mr. Nik Roshidan Abd Rahman of PETRONAS, drew field-level perspectives from PCSB Sarawak Asset, Essem Group, FPSO Ventures, MISC Berhad and HHA — the day-to-day discipline of keeping floating assets producing safely and reliably.
Where day one set the vision, day two was about delivery — the engineering, operations and partnerships that turn floating concepts into producing assets.
Strategy over lunch, engineering after
Midday brought a VIP Luncheon on Corporate & Strategic Engagement, welcoming Luncheon Guest of Honour YB Datuk Dr. Jonnybone J. Kurum, State Assistant Minister of Industrial Development, Entrepreneurship and Transport for Sabah.
The afternoon’s final session, Panel Session 6 — Engineering, Design & Construction, was moderated by Mr. Satyaranjan Sinha of MISC Berhad and featured Mr. Sam Shen (COOEC), Mr. Bai Liguo (Hanwha Offshore) and Dr. Nazim Rosli (DAR Energy) on how floating projects are engineered and built.
Drawing it to a close
Dato’ Mohamed Sabri Zain returned to the stage for the Chairman’s Closing Remarks and Vote of Thanks, bringing the third Offshore Energy Asia to an end. Across two days, the conference convened 11 sponsors, 24 participating companies and dozens of speakers and panellists around a single question — how to integrate floating energy solutions for the transition era.
With the conversation carried from vision to delivery, Offshore Energy Asia closes for another year — and turns its attention to the next.
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