Subsea News

FreeStar Subsea Services, a Netherlands-based company established by the merger of Vriezoo ROV Services and Mark Offshore, has acquired its first vessel and started operations.The company offers remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and survey support services with its own vessel, the SSV Navicula Star, which was recently acquired the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ).While most mid-sized subsea companies specialize in either vessel or ROV services, FreeStar’s owners…

Italian offshore energy services firm Saipem has signed a long-term charter contract with Chinese state-owned port and naval machinery manufacturer ZPMC for the JSD6000, a latest generation ship for offshore heavy lifting, construction and pipelaying.The signed contract provides for the bareboat charter of the ship for a five-year duration, plus two extension options of one year each.The vessel will be delivered to Saipem in June 2024 and will become part of the company’s fleet.Equipped with a DP3 dynamic positioning system and a heavy-lift capacity of up to 5…

The specialized vessel Sapura Ônix is on its way to Atlanta Field in Santos Basin, offshore Brazil, where it will carry out the installation of subsea equipment to support the oil production, targeted for August 2024.Brazilian oil and gas company Enauta said the Sapura Ônix vessel is en route to install multiphase pumps (MPPs), umbilicals for power and data transmission, and production risers, connecting the wells’ subsea infrastructure to FPSO Atlanta.The FPSO Atlanta, chartered and operated by Malaysia’s Yinson Production…

Brunvoll has signed a contract with Myklebust Verft shipyard for the delivery of a thruster package to REM Offshore’s new energy subsea construction vessel (ESCV).The contract is for one vessel with an additional vessel as an option.Brunvoll will deliver a thruster package consisting of two propulsion azimuth thrusters, two retractable azimuth thrusters, and a tunnel thruster.One of the retractable azimuth thrusters is a newly developed and more compact version of Brunvoll’s traditional azimuth combi thrusters…

PMI Industries, Inc., a provider of underwater marine cable connectors and subsea cable terminations, recently earned certification as a NAVSEA S9320-AM-PRO-020 approved molding facility from the U.S. Navy’s Submarine Maintenance Engineering, Planning and Procurement (SUBMEPP).PMI is one of only a handful of companies in the country with the certification and is now an approved vendor to fabricate, mold, and inspect outboard cable assemblies and components for the U.S. Navy.The approval process required a rigorous audit by SUBMEPP…

UK-based Exail has secured a contract with French maritime services provider Bourbon to supply several units of its Octans Attitude and Heading Reference Systems (AHRS) for integration into Bourbon Subsea Services’s fleet.These units will be installed on multiple Bourbon Evolution 800 Series multi-purpose support vessels (MPSVs) dedicated to subsea operations at depths down to 3,000 meters.IMO-HSC certified, the Octans AHRS will enhance Bourbon vessels’ efficiency in installation…

Since our last market update in the subsea space about a year ago both our current market view and forecasts have strengthened significantly.While the demand picture is looking solid and arguing for a strong multi-year upcycle, the supply side has also started to wake from its slumber albeit ever so slightly at the time of writing. Moreover, we register an interesting dynamic on the shipowner side, where everyone is trying to position themselves for the impeding market boom.Please note that vessel definitions and abbreviations in this part of our industry can vary…

DEME has been awarded two contracts from cable solutions provider Prysmian for the engineering and installation works for the IJmuiden Ver Alpha and Nederwiek 1 offshore grid systems in the Netherlands, whose combined worth is over $315 million.This is the most extensive cabling award in DEME’s history and marks the company's first project involving Prysmian’s 525 kV HVDC cable technology, featuring increased transmission capacity, according to the company.The contracts encompass cable installation…

Offshore installation contractor Allseas has made progress on the installation of the pipeline for Santos’ Barossa Gas Export Pipeline (GEP) project offshore Australia.Allseas’ Audacia pipelay vessel has installed her largest ever PLET in S-mode, concluding several years of in-house engineering, fabrication and testing, the Swiss-based contractor said.Due to the weight of the pipeline end termination structure, Allseas’ production crew had to install it separately to the connector head.Audacia vessels is being supported with four other vessels - Fortitude…

Maritime Developments (MDL) has assisted Saipem in progressing an LNG project offshore Greece, which included work on the connection of Gastrade’s Alexandroupolis floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) to the country’s gas transmission system.The project consisted of a FSRU and a mooring and pipeline system, connecting the floating unit to the Greek National Natural Gas Transmission System (NNGTS).An MDL flex-lay spread was used for the installation of two flexible risers…

Ocean Infinity signed a global framework agreement (GFA) with Shell to provide its robotic fleet for servicing the offshore energy sector.The GFA marks a significant milestone in the provision of lean-crewed and robotic seabed geomatics, spanning geophysical and geotechnical services, within the offshore energy sector.It covers a 5-year period, encompassing all countries where Shell is currently active or plans to operate in the future.Services governed by the GFA include the Armada fleet of uncrewed and lean-crewed vessels."This agreement enables new…

Norway-based offshore vessel owner Rem Offshore and shipbuilder Myklebust Verft have signed a contract for the construction of an Energy Subsea Construction Vessel (ESCV) with a 250-tonne crane.The vessel will be delivered in 2026 and will be the first of its kind that can perform heavy construction work in both offshore wind and subsea with net zero emissions, according to Rem Offshore.The contract also contains an option to build one more vessel, the company confirmed.The vessel will be equipped with dual-fuel methanol engines in combination with battery packs.

Norwegian company Reach Subsea has extended the charter for the Olympic Taurus subsea vessel and ordered two new Constructor-type remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) from Kystdesign.Back in February, Reach Subsea announced a 100-day project charter for the subsea vessel Olympic Taurus, with extension options for 2+1+1 years.The company has now extended the charter for an additional two years and retain options for another 1+1 years."With a solid backlog and substantial tender pipeline for the coming periods…

Spain-based Gondan Shipbuilders has started the construction of an advanced remotely operated unmanned surface vehicle (USV) for a company made up of DeepOcean, Solstad and Østensjø Rederi alliance called USV A/S.The project focuses on improving subsea operations, targeting a reduction of CO2 emissions by more than 90% compared to conventional methods.The new USV will be used for underwater maintenance and inspection missions.Designed by Salt Ship Design, the vessel will feature a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system…

Saipem has signed a letter of intent for the development of CO2 offshore transportation and storage facilities as part of the Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP) and Net Zero Teesside Power (NZTP) projects for the East Coast Cluster in the UK.Saipem signed a Letter of Intent, received by the Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP), a joint venture between the operator BP, Equinor, and TotalEnergies, and Net Zero Teesside Power (NZT Power), a joint venture between BP and Equinor.The…

Dutch company Huisman has secured a contract to supply two subsea cranes for Toyo Construction’s new cable laying vessel (CLV), being built by Norwegian shipbuilder Vard.The contract Huisman signed with Vard is for the delivery of full electric 250 mt Hybrid Boom Subsea Crane, and a 100 mt Knuckle Boom Crane that will be integrated into Toyo’s CLV newbuild.The purpose-built VARD 9 15 design is expected to advance capabilities for cable-laying and turbine foundation installation works in the Japanese offshore wind sector.Designed to meet the specific Toyo’s requirements and preferences of Toyo…

TDI-Brooks' latest dynamic positioning vessel, the RV Nautilus, has reached the shores of the East Coast of the United States ahead of work for offshore wind sector.After undergoing a six-month retrofit in Las Palmas, the 2000-built vessel will be put to work to provide support for offshore wind projects and various other subsea needs.With the length of 75-meters, the DP2 vessel is equipped with advanced technology, including a Geomil Manta-200 CPT that can be deployed through the mid-ship moonpool.The system can penetrate the soil up to 40-50 meters…

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, has received a large order for three cranes that will be installed onboard a new cable laying vessel (CLV) being built for Prysmian by shipbuilder Vard.MacGregor will deliver a 100-tonne active heave-compensated (AHC) crane, a 20T Offshore crane and a 3T deck crane to Prysmian, to equip the Italian owner’s third NB970 CLV from Vard.The crane supply scheduled for the third quarter of 2025.In addition, MacGregor has been contracted to supply its OnWatch solution…

Glasgow-headquartered subsea specialist Sulmara has signed a three-year deal with Atlantic Offshore to charter the DP II multi-purpose support vessel Ocean Marlin, that will undergo substantial refitting to accommodate the needs of renewable energy sector.As part of the contract, Sulmara, who earlier in February announced the signing of a Master Service Agreement with Asso.subsea, will undertake a substantial refit of the emergency response rescue vessel (ERRV) to transform it for use in the renewables sector.The refit will include the installation of class-leading survey equipment…

Eidesvik Offshore, together with Norwegian shipowner Agalas, has entered into an agreement to build a new construction support vessel (CSV), which is on charter with Reach Subsea.The newbuild will be equipped to perform inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) work for subsea and offshore wind markets.Equipped with methanol engines and a battery hybrid system, the vessel will be owned by an entity to be named Eidesvik Agalas AS, where Eidesvik will be the majority owner with 50.1%.The…

NOV reports its Lifting & Handling group has sold what is said to be the industry’s first-ever electric subsea crane. The order was booked at the end of 2023 with an undisclosed client in Europe, NOV said.The first-of-its-kind crane offers enhanced efficiency compared to electro-hydraulic cranes, helping lead to reduced vessel emissions, the manufacturer said, adding that the design allows for the recovery of potential energy from loads lowered to the seabed, supporting onboard use or storage.In addition…

Oslo-listed offshore service company Argeo has informed that its DP2 vessel Argeo Searcher completed the deepwater inspection services at Shell’s Bonga field, and is scheduled to set sail to Indian Ocean for a job with India’s National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR).In a vessel schedule update, released on January 22, 2024, Argeo confirmed its current backlog includes close to $53 million (NOK 550 million), with a further sales and revenue potential of additional $19 million (NOK 200) million for Argeo Searcher vessel in the second half of 2024.According to the company…

Dutch company Huisman has secured a contract from Subsea 7 for the delivery of its 500MT offshore mast crane for one of pipelay vessels for deep water installations.The 500mt Offshore Mast Crane will be equipped with a passive and active heave compensation system on the main hoist to counter-act the vessel’s heave motion when landing a product onto the seabed.Huisman has upgraded its heave compensation system with a variety of new control modes to extend the operational window…