A star is born in Subsea Services

Vriezoo ROV Services has merged with Mark Offshore to create what they say is a unique combination of ROV and survey support services with their own vessel as well as ROV services.

FreeStar’s vessel, SSV Navicula Star, is a 44-year-old shallow-water vessel with a draft of just one metre, which means she is capable of beaching.

She has her own onboard ROV, can accommodate 11 people and is equipped with a crane, two davits and an A-frame with several winches for deploying loads into the water or bringing them out.

The vessel is diesel powered but the new owners say she can run on biofuel and has a Smart Vessel Optimiser (SVO) by TechBinder to connect electrical systems and optimise power management – which will make her a ‘smart ship’.

“Techbinder’s AI capabilities are instrumental in understanding a vessel’s power dynamics and make data-driven decisions,” new co-founder Willem de Vries. “With the help of the SVO technology, the Navicula Star will be the first 44-year-old vessel to become a truly ‘Smart Ship’.“

FreeStar will focus on offering bathymetric and geotechnical surveys, cable protection and burial operations. 

It has collaborated with Periplus and its GR:Dit system to map all collected data, web-based, and make it accessible for its  customers. GR:Dit is an interactive map enabling users to store and analyse spatial geodata with direct access to the data while the survey and ROV mission are ongoing. 

The company says it has five offshore and four inshore ROV systems.