EMEA News
DeepOcean Takes Delivery of Remote-Controlled Vessel
Ocean services provider DeepOcean and its joint venture have taken delivery of an uncrewed and remotely operated surface vessel.
The USV Challenger will be remotely controlled from the remote operating centre at Killingøy in Norway, DeepOcean said in an emailed statement on Thursday.
USV Challenger is designed to support subsea survey, inspection, maintenance and repair (IMR) operations across the offshore energy sector.
It features a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system combined with a battery package, enabling it to operate autonomously for up to 30 days without the need for refuelling or recharging.
The vessel is owned by USV AS - a joint venture established by Solstad Offshore, Østensjø Rederi and DeepOcean to invest in and own uncrewed vessels.
It was built by the Astilleros Gondán shipyard in Spain.
Classification society DNV recently introduced a class notation for remotely operated vessels.
DNV believes remotely operated ships provide numerous advantages, such as enhanced safety and lower operational and maintenance costs.
