Reach Subsea Gets $15M From EU for Unmanned Offshore Vessels

On Tuesday, Norwegian offshore service company Reach Subsea announced that it has received $15 million in funding from the EU Innovation Fund to pursue its unmanned surface vessel R&D work. 

Reach Subsea took delivery of its purpose-built USVs, the Kongsberg-designed Reach Remote 1 and 2, in March and June 2024. The pair will soon be carrying out a range of typical offshore work for Equinor off Haugesund, Norway. 

The trial-scale deployment includes survey work, ROV intervention, guard vessel duties, structure inspection and environmental monitoring - all tasks that would ordinarily be performed by much larger, more emissions-intensive and more expensive manned vessels. The partnership is designed as a "showcase" to demonstrate the capabilities of the Reach Remote operating concept, both for Equinor and for other industry players. 

"This is a significant step forward for Reach Subsea’s innovation agenda, our Reach Remote scale up plans and our commitment to driving sustainable ocean technology. We are excited to contribute to a cleaner, more efficient future," said CEO Jostein Alendal.

The unique offshore vessel design won the Skipsrevven Ship of the Year 2024 at SMM Hamburg.

"We are committed to being part of the required transition, and our Reach Remote USVs represent a significant step in the subsea market, with CO? emissions estimated to be reduced by 90% compared to conventional vessels," explained Alendal.