FreeStarSubsea Services is a new company born from the merger of VriezooROV Services and Mark Offshore. The collaboration offers a combination of ROV and survey support services with FreeStar’s own recently acquired and outfitted vessel, SSV Navicula Star.
While most mid-sized subsea companies specialize in either vessel or ROV services, FreeStar’sowners 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).
“With the purchase of this vessel, our journey began”, says Mark, who has 25 years of experience as a sailor, shipowner, and both operations and commercial director.
“SSV Navicula Star is equipped with an onboard ROV to quickly respond and save costs at the start of a project. 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. In our view, this makes the Navicula Star the ultimate shallow water vessel.”
FreeStaraims to offer a comprehensive suite of subsea services, including bathymetric and geotechnical surveys, cable protection, and burial operations.
“With our fleet of five offshore and four inshore ROV systems and the Navicula Star, we can provide our clients with complete service offerings”, says Willem, who, like Mark, also has years of experience, 16 of which running his own underwater inspection business. ”Safety is our top priority, and our procedures are ISO certified and comply with voluntary ISM standards”.
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.
Techbinder’sAI capabilities are instrumental in understanding a vessel’s power dynamics and make data-driven decisions. With the help of the SVO technology, the Navicula Star will be the first 44-year-old vessel to become a truly ‘Smart Ship.’
