Reach Remote 1 Named ‘Ship of the Year 2024’ at SMM

[By: Kongsberg Maritime]

 REACH Subsea’s ground-breaking uncrewed surface vessel, REACH REMOTE 1, has today received the Skipsrevven Ship of the Year 2024 award at the SMM exhibition in Hamburg.

The 24-metre REACH REMOTE 1is the first of a pair of uncrewed offshore surface vessels designed and delivered by Kongsberg Maritime to Norwegian company REACH SUBSEA ASA.

Crammed with state-of-the-art KONGSBERG technology, the vessels will initially carry out underwater survey duties off the coast of Haugesund in southern Norway, and with global interest in this disruptive approach to traditional duties, many more are set to follow.

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.

In a unique approach to delivery, Kongsberg Maritime has taken on the role of prime contractor, With the company also responsible for vessel design, REACH REMOTE is a true turnkey project.

Packed with a range of technologies, this pioneering project has involved a range of companies including KONGSBERG, REACH Subsea, Trosvik Maritime AS, Massterly, DNV, Kystdesign 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.”

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”.

Reach Subsea CEO, Jostein Alendal, said: “To revolutionise an industry, you need to innovate. To innovate you need people within the organisation 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.”

Reach Subsea’s Vice President of Reach Remote, Bjørg Mathisen Døving, added: “To be part of such a ground-breaking 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”.

The UT 5208 USV vessels are designed for 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 operations centre 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.