Steel cut for Rem Offshore’s underwater methanol construction vessel

Rem Offshore reported that it celebrated the steel cutting ceremony for Bn83/REM Ocean at Song Cam in Vietnam on February 11, two and a half months after signing the contract with fellow countryman Myklebust Verft. The first ship, REM Pioneer, assigned to Bn82, is already parked heavily on the slipway. The keel laying ceremony for this vessel was held on October 24, 2024, following the initial steel cutting on July 3, 2024. The delivery date is set for 2026.

The corporation states that the keel laying of REM Ocean and the launch of the first hull of REM Pioneer, the next significant milestones, are planned for early summer 2025.  REM Ocean will have a battery energy storage system, regenerative energy systems, and dual-fuel engines that can run on bio-methanol and bio-diesel. Skipsteknisk is the designer of both vessels.

After REM Ocean is put into service in 2027, it will work under a long-term agreement with DeepOcean to provide Equinor with subsea inspection, maintenance, and repair (IMR) services.  An autonomous inspection drone (AID) will be installed on the 111.7-meter-long vessel, which was created in partnership with DeepOcean, Rem Offshore, Skipsteknisk, and other important suppliers. This will hasten the digitization of subsea asset inspection.

In addition to housing 120 people, it will have Brunvoll’s thruster package, a 250-ton electrical crane, two electric work-class remotely operated vehicles (WROVs) in hangars, a 1,000-square-meter deck area outside, and a 350-square-meter hangar area within.