Warren Inniss is a highly experienced Chartered Engineer and Member of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA), with over 20 years in the offshore energy and marine sectors, specialising in Marine Warranty Surveying (MWS) for complex offshore operations. He is widely recognised within the Lloyd’s insurance market for leading the marine warranty scope on technically demanding offshore campaigns across global markets.

Warren sits on the Board of Directors of the Society of Offshore Marine Warranty Surveyors (SOMWS), and is an active contributor to industry standards and has provided expert advice in legal and contractual matters.

With more than 15 years dedicated to MWS roles, Warren has served as a global and regional MWS lead, project manager, and attending surveyor. His expertise spans the full project lifecycle, including transportation and installation, heavy lift operations, moorings, hook-up, repair and maintenance, and decommissioning in both shallow and deep-water environments across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. His project experience includes offshore wind, subsea power cables, oil and gas platforms, FPSOs, subsea infrastructure, tidal energy, and major project cargo.

Reflecting on his new role, Warren said:

“I have been lucky enough to lead the MWS for several cutting edge projects, including the world’s largest offshore windfarm, the world’s largest and most reliable tidal stream array project, and the largest offshore wind farm in Asia. Taking lessons learnt from these and other projects, I look forward to helping Asia’s energy transition; Currently I’m supporting the development of the 532MW Anma Offshore Wind Project in South Korea.”

James Vavasour, Business Stream Director MWS commented:

“With over 25 years as a Marine Warranty Surveyor, it takes a lot to make a real impression on me, and Warren Inniss did exactly that. What sets him apart is not just his personality combined with extensive technical capability, but his strong operational instinct and deep understanding of the role of the MWS within the global insurance market. For those of us who have been in this space a long time, it is genuinely exciting to see someone making this kind of impact. Warren represents the future of MWS, and at Global Maritime we are fortunate to announce his appointment as Regional MWS Lead for APAC. I have no doubt he will continue to influence the standard of what it means to be an MWS for many years to come.“

Thibault de Rocca Serra, Regional Director APAC added:

“Warren brings a strong combination of experience, judgement, and energy to this role. With proven expertise in complex Offshore Wind and Oil & Gas but also de-commissioning projects, alongside a solid background in engineering, he is well positioned to drive our MWS business within APAC and further strengthen GM’s leadership position across the region. His appointment reflects both his track record and the confidence we have in his ability to deliver meaningful business impact. I look forward to seeing him build a thriving, high-performing MWS operation in APAC.“

Learn more about Warren below, as he shares insights into his new role and career to date.

Tell us a bit about your role and what it entails?

My role is to provide technical support to our MWS teams in the APAC region, to maintain and grow our relationships with our Clients & project underwriters, and to ensure that we continue to provide an excellent service to our projects.

What inspired you to pursue a career within our industry?

I love that as a consultant, and specifically as a Marine Warranty Surveyor, every day is different. When I turn on my laptop in the morning, there is always a new challenge waiting for me, and I take pride in playing my small part in the global industries of offshore energy & marine transportation which are vital for our modern way of life.

In your opinion, what’s the biggest challenge facing the Marine Warranty right now, and how do GM’s capabilities help overcome it? 

Other than the well-publicised shortage of supply chain capacity, I think as an industry we have been too slow to address the skills shortage in offshore energy. Renewable energy projects in Asia are particularly suffering from a lack of personnel with relevant experience. At GM we have a very experienced team of engineering and marine consultants available across the APAC region, further supported when needed by world leading specialists in other Global Maritime offices.

What standout projects have you worked on, and how have they helped shape your career journey?  

I have been lucky enough to lead the MWS for several cutting edge projects, including the world’s largest offshore windfarm, the world’s largest and most reliable tidal stream array project, and the largest offshore wind farm in Asia. Taking lessons learnt from these and other projects, I look forward to helping Asia’s energy transition; Currently I’m supporting the development of the 532MW Anma Offshore Wind Project in South Korea.

How are the trends we’re seeing right now affecting your role or MWS as a whole? 

Since I started my career, the importance of energy security and diversification of energy sources has been a frequently raised concern by governments around the world. With geopolitical uncertainty causing volatility in oil prices, this has become one of the most important issues in the global economy. I believe that the case for local energy generation has never been stronger, and I expect to see increased investment in local oil and gas extraction and an acceleration in the deployment of offshore wind and subsea power cables. If there is a rush to start new projects, as MWS my role is to help minimise the project risks and share the knowledge the international offshore energy industry has already developed.

What does life look like for you outside of Global Maritime? 

I have worked on projects all over the world, but my family has been based in London. As my new role as Regional MWS Lead (APAC) is based in Singapore, my children and I are really excited for the opportunity to spend our free time exploring Asia.