Remotely Operated Vehicle News

Carpentaria Marine Services, a marine services provider in northern Australia, is expanding its fleet after commissioning Incat Crowther to design a new multi-purpose offshore support vessel.Construction of the vessel, which will be deployed across northern and eastern Australia including Cape York and the Gulf of Carpentaria, is now underway at Richardson Devine Marine’s shipyard in Hobart, Australia.The new vessel will be utilized by Carpentaria Marine for a range of services including marine construction, dive operations, underwater surveying and remotely operated vehicle operations.

Norway-based subsea well intervention and installation services company AKOFS Offshore has signed a firm contract with Petrobras, for its subsea equipment support vessel AKOFS Santos, which will continue to operate offshore Brazil.Following a competitive tender process, the vessel will continue to perform services as a multi-purpose supply vessel (MPSV) for Petrobras in Brazil under a new contract.The contract has a duration of four years, with operations expected to start in January 2027…

Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line), one of the world’s largest shipping companies, has expanded its partnership with Neptune Robotics to scale up robotic hull cleaning across its global fleet in a move expected to deliver major fuel savings and accelerates maritime decarbonization.NYK has worked with Neptune since 2022, making it one of the earliest adopters of Neptune’s robotic hull cleaning. From earlier deployments, Neptune’s robots delivered up to 10 times fuel savings compared to cleaning costs…

First High-Tech Exploration of Argentina’s Mar del Plata Canyon, Schmidt Ocean Institute’s Remotely Operated Vehicle SuBastian shines light on an offshore canyon in Argentine waters nearly twice as deep as the Grand Canyon — capturing images and video of 40 suspected new species, coral fields, and a seastar that resembled a famous cartoon character.An Argentinian-led expedition on board Schmidt Ocean Institute’s R/V Falkor (too) has captured the attention of millions, inspiring a predominantly Argentine audience with live video feeds from the deep seafloor.

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…

Vard, the Norwegian subsidiary of the Fincantieri Group and one of the major global designers and shipbuilders of specialized vessels, has delivered two of the world's first vessels featuring cyber notation.The ships are the two Commissioning Service Operation Vessels (CSOVs) Grampian Kestrel and Purus Chinook, built respectively for North Star and Purus.In compliance with the new regulations in force from July 1, 2024, the two units feature state-of-the-art solutions that enhance their operational capabilities…

The Swedish navy’s submarine rescue vessel has taken on an additional role as it has been called on to investigate incidents of damage to undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.The Belos, equipped with sonar, a helipad, divers, undersea vehicles and a positioning system that allows it to stay relatively still even in high seas, provides rescue capabilities to Sweden’s submarine fleet if needed.On a spring day in April, the vessel sailed to a location off the coast of southern Sweden where its divers practised descending to the sea floor in a diving bell…

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…

Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's largest cruise company, is advancing greater fuel efficiency for propulsion through hull designs and new hardware and technology, along with underwater drone inspection and cleaning trials.This work is done through complementary strategies focused on maximizing hydrodynamic performance and enhancing ongoing hull maintenance, which reduces a ship’s underwater drag. Here's a synopsis of the CCL strategy:Hull Designs: When selecting the optimal hull design…

After a year of preparing the ship and crew, Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel Falkor (too) has completed its first science expedition to Antarctica. The three-week expedition, which ended in early January, was ambitious in its science scope and required operational refinements to navigate safely in unfamiliar environmental conditions.“Operating our ship in the Southern Ocean marks a significant milestone in Schmidt Ocean Institute’s history,” said Eric King, senior director of maritime infrastructure.

Eidesvik Offshore, Agalas, and Reach Subsea have partnered up to build a new construction support vessel (CSV) for subsea and offshore renewables operations.The new CSV will have similar specifications as the vessel Eidesvik currently has under construction together with Agalas at the Sefine Shipyard in Turkey.The vessel will also be built at the Sefine Shipyard, with delivery scheduled for spring 2027.It will be specifically equipped to perform inspection, maintenance, and repair (IMR) work.Upon delivery…

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…

HullWiper has signed a lease agreement with Unidive Subsea to bring its eco-friendly Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) hull cleaning technology to PSA terminals, Seatrium Yards and Singapore’s inner anchorages.Plans are also in place to expand services to FPSOs, FSOs and semi-submersibles under contracts with regional oil and gas companies.Unidive Subsea provides diving and ROV services, supporting leading oil and drilling companies in Singapore.In partnership with HullWiper, the…

Subsea Global Solutions reports that authorities in Singapore have granted approval of its hull cleaning services for vessels, allowing underwater cleaning to take place while vessels are engaged in cargo work at the terminal. The approved cleaning procedure requires the use of a Cleaning Remotely Operated Vehicle (C-ROV) equipped with an integrated filtration plant, designed to capture and reclaim materials, ensuring compliance with Singapore’s stringent environmental regulations.

Italian Navy divers have recovered video surveillance equipment from the superyacht that sank off Sicily last month, killing British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and six other people, a source close to the matter said on Friday.The recovery of the equipment could help explain why the British-flagged Bayesian went down during a severe and sudden storm off the port of Porticello, near Palermo, on Aug. 19 - an event that has puzzled naval experts.Lynch's 18-year-old daughter, four guests and the cook died when the 56-meter-long (184-foot) yacht capsized and sank within minutes.

Four bodies were retrieved on Wednesday from the sunken wreck of a yacht belonging to the wife of British tech magnate Mike Lynch, the Italian fire brigade said, adding that they were continuing to search for two missing people.The bodies were brought ashore on rescue boats and taken to nearby hospitals for formal identification. Local authorities refused to give any information about who they might have found.Britain's Daily Telegraph reported that two of the dead were Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter…

Scuba divers scouring the wreck of British tech magnate Mike Lynch's family yacht, which sank off Sicily two days ago, have found two bodies inside it, a source close to rescue operations said on Wednesday.One of the bodies belonged to a heavily built man, the source said.Rescue officials have been looking for six missing people, including Lynch, his 18-year-old daughter and Jonathan Bloomer, a non-executive chair of Morgan Stanley International.The British-flagged Bayesian, a 56-meter-long (184-ft) superyacht…

In 2011 the 210-foot Coast Guard Cutter VIGILANT was on patrol in the Caribbean when it came upon a suspected maritime narcotics smuggler. As the chase ensued, the suspected smuggler jettisoned bales of what turned out to be cocaine. The VIGILANT crew marked the position on their radar and gathered the latitude and longitude for the bales, then went in pursuit of the suspect vessel. After the suspect was apprehended, the VIGILANT returned to the original position in search of the bales…

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…

Van Oord’s cutter suction dredger Biesbosch and trailing suction hopper dredger Vox Apolonia are teaming up to dredge the Prinses Amaliahaven located on Maasvlakte in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.A consortium of Van Oord, HOCHTIEF and Ballast Nedam has constructed 2.4 kilometres of new quay wall. The new quays are being dredged to a depth of more than 20 metres below sea level. This development means that the Port of Rotterdam Authority is ensuring an expansion of container capacity in Rotterdam.In total 1…

Norwegian shipbuilder and ship designer Ulstein has developed a new subsea vessel - ULSTEIN SX232 – designed to service the offshore wind market for floating and fixed installations as well as offshore oil and gas industry.Designed for walk-to-work operations in the offshore energy market, the ULSTEIN SX232 features an optimizes hull based on the ULSTEIN TWIN X-STERN design.The vessel is equipped with smart power and propulsion system developed to minimize energy consumption during DP operations and an integrated energy recovery system utilizing all the waste heat in the machinery systems…

Thai subsea services company Mermaid Maritime has through its subsidiary Mermaid Subsea Oil and Gas Services (MSOGS) secured a loan of up to $10 million for the acquisition of Mermaid Sapphire ROV support vessel.The loan agreement, SinoPac Capital International, will facilitate the reimbursement of Mermaid’s equity used for the acquisition of the Mermaid Sapphire.The Mermaid Sapphire is a DP2 remotely operated vehicle (ROV) support vessel equipped with a deepwater work-class ROV…

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) is warning criminals that their attempts to hide illicit drugs in the hull of cargo ships continues to be disrupted by law enforcement after another import was seized by authorities in Melbourne.Packages of cocaine concealed inside the sea chest of a cargo ship was seized after the vessel docked in Melbourne, the second attempted import of its kind in two months.Australian Border Force (ABF) used an underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) at Melbourne's Appleton Dock to search a vessel…