The biggest annual subsea oil and gas showcase in Europe gets under way in Aberdeen on Wednesday.

Over 2,000 delegates and 200 exhibitors will attend Subsea 2010 at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre which will focus on international opportunities for UK businesses in the sector.

The two day event will carry the theme “Riding the Next Wave”.

Alistair Birnie, Subsea UK's chief executive said: "Over half the UK's subsea output is now exported and this has enabled many in the sector to get through the downturn, creating stability as well as sustaining revenues in the last twelve months."

"Now accustomed to dealing in global markets, the sector is increasingly relying on international growth to fulfil our business and technology ambitions.

"More than ever, we are seeing the influence of the UK subsea industry, delivering products and services to the main subsea producing regions of the world. The question for us now is how much emphasis we should continue to place on the international market as opposed to the diverging needs of the mature UKCS market.

"In order to see how the international projects compare with the North Sea, on which we have relied for many years, we need to know when projected opportunities will become reality, how they can be accessed and how stable the business environment will be."

Industry leaders from the major operators, contractors and suppliers will give their views on the major issues affecting the industry on Wednesday and Thursday.