Reach Subsea inks charter contract for low-emission survey vessel

Reach Subsea has signed a three or five-year charter contract, including additional options, with Agalas for a low-emission IMR/survey vessel with a smart lifting arrangement and an equipment package that can be adapted to several market segments.

The new vessel, set to be constructed at the Sefine Shipyard in Turkey, will be tailored to Reach Subsea’s requirements, and specifications have been developed in collaboration with Agalas and designer NSK Ship Design.

The vessel will be equipped with dual fuel gensets and will be able to run on either methanol or a combined MGO/battery system.

When powered by methanol, the vessel’s CO2 emissions are anticipated to be approximately 70% lower than those of the existing fleet, and when using the MGO/battery system it is projected to achieve a reduction of around 20%.

The vessel will be equipped with an innovative ROV launch and recovery system (LARS) and prepared for the deepwater seabed survey market.

According to Reach Subsea, the vessel is well suited for solving complex tasks within the renewables energy sector, oil & gas as well as ultra deep-water seabed surveys for the seabed mineral industry. It will feature a 150-ton AHC knuckle boom crane and a deck area of approximately 900m2 making it well-suited for conducting IMR and construction work.

“The market for subsea vessels is expected to remain tight for the foreseeable future, and with the innovative Agalas low-emission vessel, we will to an even larger degree be able to leverage the global market and continue our profitable growth,” said Reach Subsea’s CEO Jostein Alendal.

“Our vision ‘Sustainable access to ocean space’ is an important guiding principle in our decision making, and the low-emission vessel from Agalas is an important step supporting this direction. This in addition to our Reach Remote vessels currently being built will have a great impact in reducing our emissions going forward.”

The contract is subject to final approval from SR Bank, Eksfin and Sparebank1 Nord Norge.

Vessel delivery is planned for early 2026.