Evotec Launches Remote ROV Launch and Recovery Solution Adopted by DeepOcean for Unmanned Vessel Operations
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Evotec has launched CORE Remote, a solution that enables the launch and recovery of remotely operated vehicles to be performed from shore as a single automated operation, marking a meaningful step in the transition toward fully remote subsea services. The technology is now in operational use by DeepOcean from its Remote Operations Center in Haugesund, supporting subsea inspection, maintenance, and repair work carried out using the unmanned vessel USV Challenger, which has been purpose-built for remote subsea operations.
Strategic Significance for Subsea Services
The CORE Remote solution represents a structural advance in how subsea operations are organised and executed. Traditional ROV launch and recovery has required operators to be physically present offshore, with rotation schedules typically requiring personnel to spend extended periods away from shore. The shift to shore-based launch and recovery removes one of the most significant residual constraints on the operational and economic case for unmanned subsea vessels, allowing the full benefits of remote operations to be captured in practice. For the wider subsea services industry, the development signals a maturing operational model in which automation and remote command are becoming central to how inspection, maintenance, and intervention work is delivered.
Technology Profile and Integration
CORE Remote enables ROV launch and recovery to be performed from shore as a single automated operation, integrating the previously distinct steps of deploying and retrieving the vehicle into a streamlined process that can be managed by operators in a remote command environment. The automation requirement is significant because ROV launch and recovery is one of the most operationally complex elements of subsea work, involving the precise handling of expensive equipment in dynamic sea conditions. Standardising and automating these operations reduces variability, supports more consistent execution, and creates the operational foundation needed for unmanned vessel deployments to scale beyond pilot use cases.
DeepOcean's Remote Operations Center
DeepOcean operates the solution from its Remote Operations Center in Haugesund, Norway, with the unmanned vessel USV Challenger serving as the offshore platform. The ROC model is increasingly central to the future of subsea services, providing a shore-based hub from which multiple operations can be monitored, coordinated, and executed in parallel. By centralising operational expertise onshore, contractors are able to apply highly skilled personnel across multiple projects simultaneously, improving the utilisation of specialist competence and reducing the dependence on individual offshore deployments. The Haugesund ROC provides a working example of how this model is being commercialised in the European subsea market.
DeepOcean's Broader Subsea Services Profile
DeepOcean is a global provider of subsea services covering inspection, maintenance, repair, and installation, with operations across multiple international markets. The adoption of CORE Remote into its operational model reinforces the company's positioning as one of the most active operators advancing the transition toward remote and unmanned subsea services. Adoption of new operational technologies by an established global player carries significant signalling value for the wider industry, since it provides a credible reference point for clients and competitors evaluating the readiness of remote operations for commercial deployment.
Workforce and Safety Implications
For DeepOcean, the move to remote operations is as much about workforce structure as about technology. According to senior project engineer Roald Rykkje, the savings come from reducing the number of people who need to be offshore, particularly when operations may only take two days but require personnel to spend two-week rotations away from their families. The reduction in offshore manning has implications for safety, since fewer personnel exposed to the marine working environment translates directly into lower aggregate risk. The model also supports better work-life balance, which is increasingly important in attracting and retaining skilled subsea operators against tightening labour market conditions.
Operational Flexibility and Resource Utilisation
Remote operations enable more flexible use of operator resources across multiple projects. Rykkje has highlighted that when one unmanned subsea vessel is in transit, the same operators can work on ROV operations for another vessel that is on site, effectively decoupling operator deployment from individual vessel schedules. This represents a significant operational efficiency gain, allowing specialist competence to be applied across multiple workscopes in parallel. The flexibility supports better utilisation of high-cost human resources and reduces the operational dependence on the availability of any single vessel or location.
Standardisation as a Driver of Predictability
Kurt Erik Steinsäker Nesje, VP automation at Evotec, has emphasised that the solution is fundamentally about restructuring the operation itself. By standardising how operations are performed, the technology enables more predictable and consistent execution, supporting better utilisation of both vessels and operator competence. Standardisation is particularly valuable in subsea services because variability in execution is one of the principal sources of cost, schedule, and safety risk. Operations that follow consistent processes are easier to monitor, easier to improve, and easier to integrate into broader project workflows, supporting better outcomes for both contractors and clients.
Implications for Operating Model Design
Häkon Voldsund, VP sales and marketing at Evotec, has framed the solution as part of a broader transformation in how subsea operations are designed and executed. The technology is not just about enabling existing operations to be carried out from a different location, but about restructuring the underlying operating model so that remote operation is the starting point rather than an exception. As more contractors and clients move toward this model, the design of vessels, the configuration of crewing, and the structure of project execution will all evolve. The transition has implications for vessel newbuilding strategy, the design of port and shore facilities supporting remote operations, and the qualifications required of subsea personnel.
Implications for Offshore Wind and Subsea Inspection
The deployment of remote ROV operations carries particular relevance for offshore wind operations and maintenance, where the volume of inspection and intervention work is rising sharply as the global offshore wind fleet expands. Foundation inspections, cable surveys, and minor intervention tasks represent a substantial workload that benefits significantly from cost-efficient unmanned and remote delivery models. The combination of standardised operations, shore-based command, and unmanned vessels provides a credible pathway to lower the cost and increase the frequency of inspection work, supporting the broader operational economics of the offshore wind sector. Similar benefits apply to subsea cable, pipeline, and offshore platform inspections across multiple regions.
Wider Trends in Maritime Autonomy
The Evotec and DeepOcean collaboration sits within a broader trajectory in maritime autonomy, where multiple technology developers and service providers are progressing toward fully remote and autonomous operations. Advances in sensor systems, communications, command and control software, and onboard automation are converging to enable a wider range of operations to be conducted without offshore personnel. As regulatory frameworks for autonomous and remote-operated vessels mature in jurisdictions across Europe, North America, and Asia, the commercial deployment of these solutions is expected to accelerate. The CORE Remote launch provides one of the more visible examples of how this convergence is being commercialised in operational subsea services.
Outlook for Remote Subsea Operations
The maturation of remote subsea operations has the potential to reshape several aspects of the offshore industry, from vessel design and crewing economics to safety performance and project execution models. As more contractors adopt similar technologies and as clients become more familiar with the operational characteristics of unmanned vessel deployments, remote operations are likely to move from a differentiating capability to an industry baseline. For Evotec, the partnership with DeepOcean provides a high-profile reference deployment that supports broader commercial adoption, and for the subsea services sector as a whole, the launch marks an important step toward a future in which the majority of inspection, maintenance, and intervention work could be conducted from shore-based operations centres rather than from offshore vessels.
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This article was contributed by an external writer affiliated with our publication.
