Fortune has not smiled kindly upon the UK Shipbuilding Industry, either the commercial or the military aspects, and the Offshore Industry, once seen as the salvation, is now itself at a fairly low ebb. Driven by buoyant markets and sales, developments in both materials and the actual construction of electric cables advanced during the 1980s. Many new standards were prepared and issued, existing standards were updated - NES525 and 526, BS6883, the IEC92-35X and 27X series being typical examples. These are reviewed and their merits discussed. During this review the reaction to fire that each type of cable exhibits must also be considered. What, contentiously, needs to be asked is: Has the industry gone too far when addressing this particular aspect? Has it sacrificed too many of the virtues, that it perhaps took for granted, ie ease of installation, toughness and performance in fluids, in the search for the smallest, lightest, 'best' fire performance cable, or is the industry just selecting the wrong type of cable for the particular application? One area not tackled very scientifically during the advances of the 1980s is that of current rating relating to cables. A comparison between onshore and offshore practices is made. Finally, an attempt will be made to answer the following questions: Where to now? What new materials and manufacturing processes are becoming available? Does a subdued Marine Industry want them or need them and, finally, can it afford them?