Professor Susan Gourvenec contributes to national engineering ethics series as updated Ethical Principles are launched
The Engineering Council and the Royal Academy of Engineering have marked Chartered Week (23–27 February) with the publication of an updated Statement on Ethical Principles—the first major revision in over 20 years.
The refreshed guidance responds to a rapidly changing engineering landscape, from AI and autonomy to environmental pressures, and introduces a new fifth ethical principle emphasising engineers’ responsibility for the long‑term future of technology, society, and the environment.
To bring these principles to life, the Academy commissioned a series of blogs from leading voices across the profession. These sector‑expert pieces explore how ethical considerations shape fields such as AI, space technologies, fire safety, wastewater management, and offshore engineering, illustrating the practical decisions engineers face every day.
Among those invited was Professor Susan Gourvenec , Deputy Director of the Southampton Marine & Maritime Institute and Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies.
Susan was asked to contribute a dedicated Q&A on the ethical challenges with a particular emphasis on offshore engineering — a recognition of her leadership in responsible ocean engineering and her long‑standing work on resilient, sustainable marine infrastructure.
In her blog, Susan outlines why ethics are inseparable from offshore engineering. She highlights the societal importance of subsea cables, renewable offshore energy, and marine infrastructure, and explores the decisions engineers must navigate across the entire lifecycle of these systems — from siting and design, to material sourcing, workforce welfare, environmental monitoring, and end‑of‑life decommissioning. She emphasises the need for inclusive stakeholder engagement, ethical supply chains, sustainable materials choices, and data‑driven, adaptive management to avoid unintended consequences in the marine environment. Susan also stresses the global implications of inequitable technology development, identifying where both opportunity and responsibility lie as offshore sectors expand.
Her contribution sits alongside blogs from other respected experts, demonstrating how the updated principles apply in practice across the engineering profession. Together, these pieces underscore the Royal Academy of Engineering’s message that ethical leadership is central to ensuring engineering continues to serve people, the planet, and the public good.