DeepOcean to upgrade subsea vessel to battery power for renewed charter

June 9, 2022, by Nadja Skopljak

DeepOcean has entered into a new two-year time charter agreement with Norwegian shipowner Volstad Maritime for the Volantis subsea construction vessel, with plans to upgrade it to battery power.

The vessel will be upgraded with battery power notation before commencing the contract in the first quarter of 2023.

The time charter will run until the end of 2024, with options for further extensions.

“In line with our long-term strategy towards zero emissions, we will be installing batteries on the vessel to reduce consumption and emissions,” said Eirik Syversen, chief commercial officer at Volstad Marine.

“Volstad Maritime were one of the first offshore owners to achieve the ISO 50001 accreditation for Energy Management Standard. The installation of batteries on Volantis will take these efforts further forward and make the vessel even more attractive.”

Volantis is a dynamically positioned multi-role subsea construction vessel, which incorporates a 150te active heave compensated subsea crane.

The subsea vessel is permanently mobilized with two high sea state work-class remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), as well as an observation ROV.

The two companies entered into an agreement in April 2021 for the 107-meter vessel, under which it continued working in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico region.

“DeepOcean has set a target to achieve a 45 percent reduction in CO2 emissions before 2030. By 2040 we aim to be carbon neutral. Chartering vessels from vessel owners who share the same environmental commitment is key to this strategy,” said Øyvind Mikaelsen, DeepOcean CEO.