- by THS:UKI Manager
- 28 February 2025
- Corporate Member News
The uncrewed surface vessel, USV Challenger, has been floated out at GONDAN Shipbuilders – Astilleros Gondán in Spain.
USV Challenger is a pioneering 24-meter uncrewed vessel set to push new boundaries in subsea operations. After seven years of meticulous development, this innovative project has become a seaborne reality.
DeepOcean initiated the project, and since 2022, it has been a collaboration between DeepOcean, Solstad Offshore ASA, and Østensjø Rederi, who jointly own the vessel through USV AS.
As the long-term charterer, DeepOcean is working with several energy operators to explore commercial opportunities for the USV Challenger in the coming years.
This innovative solution is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by more than 90% compared to conventional offshore vessels during subsea Inspection, Maintenance, and Repair (IMR) operations.
The USV, Launch and Recovery system (LARS), and ROV will be operated from the Remote Operations Center (ROC) at Killingøy, owned by Remota, which now includes a dedicated room specifically designed for USV operations