The Offshore Technology Conference ( OTC), one of the world's largest offshore technology shows, kicked off here Monday.

The four-day event not only provided a platform for 2,728 exhibiting companies from 42 countries and regions to lure visitors with their newest products and technologies, but also for them to share insights and discuss issues the industry is facing.

Besides exhibition, keynote presentations and panel sessions, the conference also awards newest technologies and products in the field of offshore drilling. Fifteen technologies and solutions receive the 2013 Spotlight on New Technology Award recognizing innovative new products that provide significant impact for offshore exploration and production.

FMC Technologies, a Houston-based global provider of equipment and services for the energy industry, received the 2013 Spotlight on New Technology Awards Monday for its two new technologies, namely, Condition and Performance Monitoring (CPM) system and the new helico-axial multiphase subsea pump.

The helico-axial multiphase subsea pump "is a very advanced pumping system that goes on the ocean floor and allows us to add energy to the liquids and gases that are coming out of the well to help get them to the long-distances up to the surface and also to the shore," said Patrick Kimball, public relations manager of FMC Technologies.

"We are starting to see some really advanced technology payoff, " said Kimball, who had been attending the OTCs in the past years. As the energy industry goes deeper into the ocean for oil and gas, new technologies and solutions are coming in to help it "develop these new oil fields" in a safe way, he said.

Kimball said one of the biggest challenges facing the industry is growth. "The demand for these new technologies is increasing as the world's demand for energy increases," he said.

"We are seeing lots of demand and that is increasing the amount of drilling activities," Kimball told Xinhua. "So the challenge it keeping pace with the demand."

Founded in 1969, the annual Offshore Technology Conference is the world's foremost event for the development of offshore resources in the fields of drilling, exploration, production, and environmental protection. OTC is held annually at Reliant Center in Houston.