Global ocean services provider DeepOcean has successfully completed its first subsea intervention project with offshore operational leadership based onshore, marking a milestone in the company’s development of remote subsea capabilities.
The operation, carried out for Aker BP at the Idun Nord field in the Norwegian Sea, involved a work-class remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and offshore leadership being managed from an onshore remote operating centre (ROC). A second ROV was operated from at the project vessel in the field.
The scope included subsea crane operations and close-proximity vessel positioning, which normally would require a shift supervisor and an engineer to be present on board, potentially for a full 14-day offshore trip. In this case, the operation was completed during a 12-hour shift, allowing key personnel to conclude the work and return to their homes.
“This project represents an important step forward in how we deliver subsea operations,” says Olaf A. Hansen, Executive Vice President for DeepOcean’s Northern Europe region. “By moving key operational roles onshore, we can reduce offshore personnel requirements, with its inherent cost savings and emissions reductions, while maintaining safe and efficient execution. It also allows us to utilise specialist competence more flexibly across campaigns.”
DeepOcean has been executing remote subsea operations since its first remote campaign in 2018, delivering a series of progressively more advanced scopes from shore. In 2025, the company reached a further milestone by executing subsea dredging operations remotely, demonstrating the ability to perform increasingly complex intervention tasks without the offshore deployment of key personnel.
For operators, the approach enables greater flexibility to execute multiple scopes - requiring different skillsets and preparations - within the same offshore campaign.
The remote subsea operation was conducted from DeepOcean’s remote operating centre (ROC) in Haugesund, Norway, leveraging Remota’s digital solutions and communication systems to support real-time offshore execution.
“We appreciate the collaboration with DeepOcean in advancing remote operations,” says Jarle Marius Solland, Operations Manager Subsea Execution & Survey at Aker BP. “This is a great example of our ambition to increase efficiency by optimizing vessel and personnel utilization while maintaining a strong focus on safety and operational control.”
DeepOcean continues to develop and scale remote and digitally enabled subsea operations as part of its strategy to deliver safer, more efficient and lower-emission offshore services.
