Rov News

Ocean services provider DeepOcean has expanded its service offering to the offshore renewables and oil and gas industries by entering into a time charter agreement for the multipurpose support vessel Glomar Supporter.Chartered from Glomar Offshore, the Glomar Supporter vessel will join DeepOcean’s fleet in January 2026 with its first operations planned in EuropeDeepOcean will utilise the Glomar Supporter to enhance its offering in survey, inspection and light IMR (inspection,…

Subsea technology company Seatools has been awarded a contract by Jan De Nul for the design and delivery of a Fall Pipe ROV (FP-ROV) that will form a key system of the Belgian contractor’s recently ordered subsea rock installation vessel, the George W. Goethals.The ROV will play an essential role in the vessel’s mission to protect critical subsea infrastructure by enabling highly accurate and controlled rock placement around cables and foundations, safeguarding assets that underpin…

The US Coast Guard has announced it will invest nearly $350 million to expand robotics and autonomous systems.The funding, provided under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), includes $11 million in fiscal year 2025 for immediate upgrades to critical autonomous systems.Initial investments include:$4.8 million to procure 16 VideoRay Defender remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to replace Deployable Specialized Forces’ aging fleet.$2 million to procure six Qinetiq Squad Packable…

The catastrophic implosion of the Titan submersible that killed five people in 2023 could have been prevented, a US Coast Guard investigative board found on Tuesday, calling the vessel’s safety culture and manager OceanGate's operational practices “critically flawed.”The Titan vanished during a descent to the Titanic wreck on a tourist expedition, losing contact with its support ship. After a tense four-day search, its shattered remains were discovered strewn across the seabed 1…

Norwegian shipbuilder Vard has completed the upgrades on Island Offshore’s well intervention vessel Island Wellsaver.The extensive upgrade and maintenance operation project for the Island Wellsaver vessel included the replacement of the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) system, installation of winch systems, and general maintentance work.The project has been completed on time and the vessel has been delivered to Island Offshore, according to Vard, with minimal downtime.The Island Wellserver well intervention vessel built in 2008.The multi-purpose offshore vessel of UT 767 CD design…

Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) and MaDfly have deployed a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) in open sea conditions, marking a breakthrough in offshore in-water surveys.The operation was conducted on the service operation vessel (SOV) Wind of Hope next to the Hornsea 2 wind farm in England, marking a significant advancement in offshore inspection technologies.The innovative in-water survey was performed by MaDfly’s expert team under the supervision of the classification society Bureau Veritas.According to LDA…

Orkney-based marine services firm Green Marine UK has announced a seven-figure capital investment in a new Subsea Services Department targeting the U.K.’s offshore wind sector.The company expansion, boosted by financial backing from HIE (Highlands and Islands Enterprise), includes the purchase of subsea technology from Rovtech (Seatronics), Sonardyne, Norbit, Voyis, Tritech, Digital Edge Subsea, EIVA and a range of other sensors.The Subsea Services Department, expected to officially launch in late spring 2025…

Ocean services provider DeepOcean has secured a subsea survey contract on the Bałtyk 2 and 3 offshore wind developments in Poland which are jointly developed by Equinor and Polenergia.Under the contract, DeepOcean will conduct geophysical seabed surveys of the export and inter-array cable seabed corridors, utilizing a dedicated survey remotely operated vehicle (SROV).The work scope also includes surveys to map the seabed for potential unexploded ordnances (UXO). Polish company MEWO will serve as a subcontractor to DeepOcean for the UXO scope…

Green Yard Kleven and the Brazilian shipowner Oceanica have signed a contract to convert the vessel Oceanicasub XVII from an Anchor Handling Tug Supply (AHTS) vessel to a ship capable of performing Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) operations.Oceanicasub XVII will be equipped with mezzanine decks for ROV equipment, extended crew capacity, and areas for charterers. At the same time, the ship will undergo a general upgrade and class re-approval.The UT712L anchor handler vessel was originally delivered from Green Yard Kleven as B313 back in 2007 under the name Rem Balder.

ECOsubsea launched its Ultra High Efficiency Hull Cleaning Service (UHEHCS) in Singapore, introducing its new ROV. According to the company, tests showed the ROV operates 10 times faster than conventional cleaning methods. "We cleaned a fully laden capesize vessel, with an 18-m draft, in just four hours," said ECOsubsea CEO Tor Østervold.Golden Ocean’s Head of Global Operations, Tord Brath, said: "ECOsubsea’s ROV demonstrated impressive speeds and enhanced safety with minimal human intervention.

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and the United States Coast Guard Research and Development Center (USCG-RDC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) as a stepping stone towards collaborative research and development on top-of-mind technologies impacting the maritime industry.Activity under the MoU can include developing joint research publications, new technology qualifications and information sharing in a variety of research areas including remote and autonomous systems for uncrewed surface and underwater vehicles…

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…

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…

Reach Subsea, a Norwegian subsea services company, has signed a long-term charter contract with Agalas for a modern IMR/Survey vessel to be built in Turkey.According to Reach Subsea, to be hired on three or five-year charter, will has a low emission, smart lifting arrangement and a state of the art equipment package that can be adapted to several market segments, with delivery early 2026.Reach Subsea CEO Jostein Alendal said:"The market for subsea vessels is expected to remain tight for the foreseeable future…

The wreck of an ancient Roman cargo ship from more than 2,000 years ago has been found off the coast near Rome, the arts squad of Italy's Carabinieri police said on Friday. The ship was located off the port of Civitavecchia, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north-west of the Italian capital, on a sandy seabed at a depth of about 160 meters (525 ft), a statement said. The vessel, estimated to be more than 20 meters long and dating from the 1st or 2nd century BC, was carrying hundreds of amphorae -- a type of ancient Roman jar -- that were mostly found intact.

Offshore seismic survey specialist Shearwater on Friday announced a new project with the Austrian oil firm OMV for a "pioneering" towed streamer survey with Ocean Bottom Nodes over the Berling gas and condensate discovery in the Norwegian Sea. Spanning 1040 sq.km, this hybrid survey starts in July 2023 and will last for three months. Shearwater's vessels, SW Tasman and Oceanic Vega, will lead the operations. SW Tasman will operate as an ROV node deployment vessel for first time…

Subsea services firm DeepOcean has taken the Olympic Ares multi-purpose support vessel (MPSV) on a two-year charter. The vessel is owned by the Norwegian shipowner Olympic Subsea.The vessel is a modern construction support vessel equipped with a 250 Te crane. It will provide subsea inspection, maintenance, and repair (IMR), light construction, and recycling services to DeepOcean’s clients in the offshore renewables and oil and gas industries.Øyvind Mikaelsen, CEO of DeepOcean…

A leaking fuel tanker that sank off the central Philippines three weeks ago has been found using an underwater robot from Japan, a provincial governor said on Tuesday, as authorities sought more foreign help to address the oil spill.The discovery of MT Princess Empress, which was carrying about 800,000 liters (211,338 gallons) of industrial fuel oil when it capsized on Feb. 28 and eventually sank, was deemed crucial in stopping the spill, which reached shorelines in three provinces.

Norway's Green Yard Kleven has completed and delivered two retrofit projects for the Brazilian shipowner Oceanica. Oceanicasub Vlll and Oceanicasub lX have been rebuilt from offshore supply vessels to advanced offshore vessels for ROV- and crane operations."Both rebuilding projects were largely based on reused equipment and focused on sustainability at the request of the shipowner, which is very relevant to our activity. Our experience from both new buildings, retrofit, and recycling of ships came in handy in the projects…

Norwegian offshore energy industry services firm Ross Offshore has agreed to charter Teige Gruppen's Sunny Lady fishing vessel for future offshore activities.The initial agreement is for the charter for the summer of 2023, but the parties envision long-term cooperation, too.Ross Offshore will use the vessel for seabed surveys. The vessel will be equipped with an observation ROV and be able to perform mapping- and environmental surveys."The first project starts in May, and we anticipate a large demand going forward…

Philippine authorities believe they have found the location of a tanker that sank off a central province last week, the environment ministry said on Monday, amid a race to assess the extent of an oil spill and contain further environmental damage.The tanker, the MT Princess Empress, is thought to be lying at about 1,200 feet (366 meters) below sea level, off Oriental Mindoro province, though the information still needed to be verified, the ministry said in a statement.A remotely operated vehicle would be deployed to help determine the exact location of the tanker…

Researchers from NOAA, the state of Michigan, and Ocean Exploration Trust discovered an intact shipwreck resting hundreds of feet below the surface of Lake Huron. Located within NOAA's Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the shipwreck has been identified as the sailing ship Ironton. Well preserved by the cold freshwater of the Great Lakes for over a century, the 191-ft. Ironton rests upright with its three masts still standing."Using this cutting-edge technology, we have not only located a pristine shipwreck lost for over a century…

Oslo-listed subsea services provider Reach Subsea said Wednesday it had won a decommissioning contract in the North Sea. The contract is with an undisclosed client, and represents around 40 project days for execution in Q1 2023. Reach Subsea will use the Olympic Delta vessel for the project. Financial details were not disclosed.Olympic Delta is a subsea vessel equipped for light IMR and survey work for both the oil and gas and renewables sectors.Reach Subsea has an existing cooperation with Olympic Subsea for Olympic Delta, and the parties have agreed to extend the cooperation for the whole of 2023. Currently, the extended cooperation comprises an additional 150 days of firm work for the two ROVs currently mobilized on the vessel.