Reach Remote 1 Named ‘Ship of the Year 2024’

03 Sep 2024 15:03 CEST

Hamburg, 03 September 2024: Reach Subsea’s USV vessel ‘REACH REMOTE 1’ today
received the Skipsrevyen Ship of the Year 2024 award at the SMM exhibition in
Hamburg.

Reach Subsea introduced the REACH REMOTE concept in 2019, partnering with
Kongsberg Maritime, who took on the role of the primary turn-key contractor.
Equipped with advanced KONGSBERG technology, the vessel is currently undergoing
final commissioning at Trosvik Maritime yard. It is scheduled to begin a
technology qualification program this fall, collaborating with major global
energy players, including Equinor.

Reach Subsea’s ‘REACH REMOTE 1’ USV is the first of a pair uncrewed 24-meter
surface vessel and is poised to revolutionize offshore subsea operations.
Scheduled for deployment in 2024 under the Norwegian Flag, these vessels align
with sustainability initiatives.

A key feature of the REACH REMOTE USV design is its ability to operate without a
crew, controlled remotely. This approach offers significant advantages in terms
of operating costs, safety, and emissions, when compared to carrying out the
same duties with a much larger, crewed vessel. Additionally, the USV’s
integration with Remotely Operated Vehichles (ROVs) is the first of its kind.

Speaking at the award ceremony, COO of Reach Subsea, Inge Grutle said:
“We are very proud to be awarded the Ship of the Year award for our first
uncrewed vessel, the Reach Remote 1, which we are confident will be the first in
a series of many to support our ambition to give our Clients sustainable access
to the ocean space”

An immense amount of work has been put in by the teams involved in this project.

Reach Subsea’s Vice President of Reach Remote, Bjørg Mathisen Døving said:
“To be part of such a groundbreaking project has been a joyride and I have had
the time of my life. I am so proud of the unstoppable efforts from the diverse
teams and I truly believe this project is a lighthouse for the industry”

This pioneering project has involved a range of companies including Reach Subsea
(Owner and initial design), KONGSBERG (Design and Turnkey contractor) Trosvik
Maritime AS (Yard), Massterly (ROC), Kystdesign (ROV) DNV, and the Norwegian
Maritime Authorities (NMA).

Lisa Edvardsen Haugan, President – Kongsberg Maritime, said, “We are extremely
proud to have played such pivotal role in this project and are absolutely
delighted to have been recognised alongside our valued partners at REACH SUBSEA
for the innovation and cutting-edge technology that makes the REACH REMOTE
vessels such a gamechanger for our industry.”

Reach Subsea CEO, Jostein Alendal, shared his thoughts on the award, stating:
“To revolutionize an industry, you need to innovate. To innovate you need people
within the organization and partners alongside you who can think big, think
differently, and overcome the challenges that arise along the way. The Reach
Remote project is a powerful testament to this, and I am immensely proud to see
that what were once bold ideas are now coming to life. We are committed to
seeing this through to full operation. Winning the Ship of the Year award is a
tremendous boost and a great source of motivation for our teams. We look forward
to continuing the great cooperation established with KONGSBERG and Massterly as
we scale up Reach Remote vessels in the future.”

The UT 5208 USV vessels are designed for unrivaled operability in uncrewed
subsea operations. KONGSBERG is providing the handling equipment for the ROV, as
well as hull-mounted sensors for survey work. The ROV will feature a robust
robotic arm to enable simple underwater tasks, such as adjusting valves or
moving debris. The vessels will be controlled from a remote operating centre
(ROC), where one captain will be able to control several vessels at the same
time.

Massterly, which is a joint venture between Kongsberg Maritime and Wilhelmsen,
will monitor and control the vessels from its Remote Operations Centre (ROC) in
Horten, Norway.

Reach Subsea has responsibility for all the client interface and its teams will
operate ROVs from their Operations Centre. Initially this will be based in
Haugesund but this capability can be deployed globally through a network mobile,
container-based Operations Centres, as the REACH REMOTE fleet expands.

For the initial deployment the vessels will be followed by a support vessel in
the early stages of operation, before transitioning to remote and autonomous
control.

More information:
Access the news on Oslo Bors NewsWeb site