Subsea technology specialist Seatools has secured a contract from Van Oord to design and supply two Fall-Pipe ROVs (FP-ROVs) for use on Van Oord’s next-generation Subsea Rock Installation vessels. Announced by Van Oord in July, these new vessels will enhance the company’s capabilities in the subsea rock installation sector and contribute to safeguarding vital offshore energy infrastructure.
The FP-ROVs will provide accurate horizontal positioning of the fall pipe and support pre-, intermediate-, and post-lay surveys, enabling precise rock placement to protect and stabilize cables, pipelines, and other subsea assets.
Seatools and Van Oord share a long and successful history in Subsea Rock Installation. Seatools previously delivered the complete Fall-Pipe ROVs for Bravenes and Stornes, and executed a full control-system upgrade for the FP-ROV on Nordnes.
This new award adds to a growing series of recent project wins — including a Fall-Pipe ROV contract for Jan De Nul, deep-sea exploration equipment, and offshore decommissioning related systems. Together, these awards underline Seatools’ position as a trusted supplier of industrial-quality subsea equipment to the world’s leading offshore contractors.
Van Oord’s new vessels combine high loading capacity, advanced automation, and a sustainable multi-fuel power plant including methanol operation. Their vessel announcement highlighted the importance of protecting critical subsea infrastructure and meeting growing global energy-security needs — ambitions to which these FP-ROVs will contribute.
Jan Frumau, Managing Director: “We are proud to support Van Oord as they expand their SRI fleet with these next-generation vessels. Delivering these two Fall-Pipe ROVs builds on many years of cooperation and reflects the trust placed in our subsea technology. We look forward to contributing to the protection of critical subsea infrastructure worldwide.”
