DeepOcean charters converted battery-powered vessel to boost subsea offering

Norway’s DeepOcean is set to charter a converted, battery-powered offshore support vessel from shipowner Island Offshore to further enhance its subsea offering to the offshore renewables and oil & gas industries.

DeepOcean has entered into a long-time charter agreement with Island Offshore for the Island Condor – to be re-named Island Ocean multi-purpose support vessel (MPSV) – following conversion and upgrade.

The vessel will be converted from a 2014-built vessel to a modern construction support vessel equipped with a 150 Te crane which will provide subsea inspection, maintenance, and repair (IMR), light construction and recycling services in the offshore renewables and oil & gas industries.

The long-term charter contract will commence in the third quarter of 2024. Island Ocean will be equipped with two Schilling HD x WROV systems for 3,000 meters of water depth from DeepOcean’s fleet, together with the company’s dedicated infrastructure.

As part of the conversion process, the vessel will undergo an extension of approximately 11 meters. Additionally, dual ROV hangars will be installed, the superstructure will be extended, the DP system will be upgraded, and a large battery pack will be installed.

According to DeepOcean, an active front-end system will also be implemented, enabling the transfer of redundant energy to the battery pack, and a launch and recovery system for the ROVs will be installed.

“Re-use of existing tonnage is more environmentally friendly than building a new vessel, and adding battery power is an efficient way of reducing CO2-emissions and operating costs. We are dedicated to reducing our environmental footprint from offshore operations and choose to collaborate with shipowners who can support this effort,” said Øyvind Mikaelsen, CEO of DeepOcean.

“Our forte is subsea services. Specialist subsea engineering competence and tools coupled with cost-effective work platforms, such as this MPSV, are enablers to conduct the subsea work and create value for operators of offshore energy infrastructure. We are experiencing increased demand for our services, which is why we are adding to our fleet of chartered vessels.”

In terms of other recent news coming from the company, DeepOcean in October 2023 entered into an agreement with oil & gas player Aker BP to “pioneer” the use of an unmanned surface vessel (USV) for subsea IMR and survey work.

The first USV is planned to be ready for offshore operations in 2025 when it will go on an eight-year charter agreement with DeepOcean from specialist provider USV AS.