New offshore ROV and subsea services company FreeStar acquires vessel and starts operations
FreeStar Subsea Services is a new company born from the merger of Vriezoo ROV Services and Mark Offshore, according to the company's release.
The collaboration offers a unique combination of ROV and survey support services with FreeStar’s own, recently acquired and outfitted vessel, the SSV Navicula Star. While most mid- sized subsea companies specialize in either vessel or ROV services, FreeStar’s owners believe that this combination will give the new offshore service provider a competitive edge.
Founders Mark van der Star and Willem de Vries, developed this concept over the course of several years before having the opportunity to actively and commercially join forces and acquire their first vessel ‘Navicula Star’ from the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ).
The vessel can accommodate 11 people and is equipped with a crane, 2 davits and an A-frame with several winches, for deploying and/or recovering a variety of loads into or out from the water. The ROV control and survey desk are situated inside at deck level for quick response to the workdeck. With a draft of only 1 meter, it is also capable of beaching.
Acquiring a new vessel requires time to fully understand its systems. Therefore, FreeStar Subsea Services engaged TechBinder with their Smart Vessel Optimizer (SVO) to connect all electrical systems and optimize power management.
