Targeting fast-growing offshore wind market, Green Marine UK invests in subsea services

The investment – boosted by financial backing from Highlands and Islands Enterprise – includes the acquisition of subsea technology from Rovtech, Sonardyne, Norbit, Voyis, Tritech, Digital Edge Subsea, EIVA and a range of other sensor providers.

The company is already well known for its specialist vessels, and has provided support with crew transfers, dive operations, surveying and fishery liaison services as well as recovery, maintenance and redeployment of acoustic recording devices, buoys, ACDP and FLiDAR devices.

Adding to this growing capability, the new subsea services department at Green Marine UK will provide inhouse, turnkey solutions and data. New services will include general visual inspection, 3D survey incorporating Rovtech’s simultaneous localisation and mapping system, marine site characterisation, multibeam sonar, and operation and maintenance monitoring with a focus on subsea cables, pipelines and offshore structures.

Green Marine managing director Jason Schofield said the expansion of the range of services offered by the company is a key element of the firm’s growth plan. “Green Marine has built a strong track record over many years, with particular success in the offshore wind sector,” he said. “The unique skills and experience we have developed during this period have put us in prime position to diversify in line with growing industry demand. 

“Although this entails an initial seven-figure capital investment, the longer-term company strategy is to continue investing and expanding way into the future. 

“We benefit from a strategic location in Orkney with the world’s second-largest installed offshore wind capacity on our doorstep. This represents a significant growth opportunity for Green Marine UK and a vehicle to drive jobs and business expansion for many years to come.”

A key investment for Green Marine UK’s subsea services department includes Rovtech’s VALOR remotely operated vehicle, recently acquired from Seatronics. The lightweight, portable system is ideally suited to data collection and physical intervention. 

Green Marine operations and technology director Myles Metson said the expansion is part of a strategy to acquire more assets and expand inhouse operations. “Ultimately, this means we are not reliant on equipment availability or unknown personnel,” he said. “Instead, we offer a single Green Marine Team capable of reacting quickly and consistently to our clients’ requirements. 

“We can ensure rapid mobilisation and reduced overheads during off periods. It also crucially relieves a major headache for our clients when reliant on a multitude of equipment, operators and expertise to deliver complex services.

Mr Metson said that, in addition to investing in the new division, Green Marine UK is already harnessing AI “and will be continually developing and training new models to automate, simplify and strengthen the reliability of data collected.”