Rem Offshore has grown significantly by acquiring and constructing advanced vessels equipped with low- and zero-emission technology. Today, the company operates a modern fleet of 18 vessels, with three more under construction, and employs over 700 dedicated staff. Newlyappointed CCO Trond Skodjevåg Bø spoke to Hannah Barnett about the company’s next moves.
Thanks to innovation, reliability and strong partnerships, Rem Offshore has established itself as a leading marine services provider in oil and gas, renewable energy, and subsea operations. Now, with its environmentally friendly vessels under construction, the company is set to enter a new era.
“Rem is the ship owner of the future; we are willing to invest into environmentally-friendly technology and keeping our people up to date,” said Trond Skodjevåg Bø CCO. “For our clients, the important thing to know is that Rem is a company they can trust. We will be
at the forefront of the challenges that come with the reduction of emissions and help clients achieve their goals.”
New vessels
Although Mr Skodjevåg Bø has not been directly involved until recently, it has been a busy eighteen months at Rem. “It’s been remarkable,” he said. “There are many highlights. For an offshore ship owner, the most important thing is safety, so our reduction in incident statistics is worth celebrating.
We’re also very proud of achieving a vessel
A VERSATILE SHIPYARD
utilisation for our fleet of 94 per cent last year, which was a good contribution to a revenue growth of 40 per cent from the year before and EBITDA margin of 63 per cent. 2024 was a good year for us.”
In April 2024, the company took delivery of Rem Wind, a new CSOV, designed and built by Vard to provide support to offshore wind farms. The vessel was the second of two ordered after Rem Power was delivered in 2023 and is currently working for Siemens Gamesa servicing the Global Tech 1 Wind Farm in Germany. Later same year Rem also ordered a third vessel of the VARD 419 design, to be delivered from Vard’s Vung Tau yard in late 2026, bringing the fleet of custom-built CSOVs to a total of four vessels.
Marking a new era for the company, Rem signed a newbuilding contract for Rem Pioneer, the clearest demonstration of the
company’s commitment to sustainability yet. The highly advanced ESCV (Energy Subsea Construction Vessel), designed by Ålesund-based ship designer Skipsteknisk, is powered by green methanol, which reduces emissions dramatically and, as the name suggests, will be a pioneer in the offshore energy industry. It is due to be delivered from Myklebust Shipyard in 2026.
Furthermore, a second vessel of the same ST-245 design was signed after the recently secured contract with DeepOcean. Worth nearly six billion Krone (£428 million), the eight-year charter agreement includes additional extension options and the construction of Rem Ocean, also to be built at Myklebust, due for delivery in 2027.
Described as the next generation subsea vessel, Rem Ocean will be deployed by DeepOcean for subsea operations such
as inspection, maintenance and repair on Equinor installations on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The vessel should not only set new benchmarks for environmental sustainability and operational efficiency but also strengthen Norway’s maritime industry.
“The eight-year contract is obviously very significant for us,” said Mr Skodjevåg Bø. “We are thrilled by the trust placed in us by DeepOcean and Equinor, and very much look forward to delivering services
accordingly. Including the IMR-contract signed in 2024 with DOF, to utilize our Rem Inspector for three years plus options, we have positioned ourselves well as a trusted supplier for IMR-duties on the Norwegian Continental Shelf.”
Green goals
The type of contracts and newbuildings clearly showcase Rem’s goal to play a key part in the development of zero emission
vessels. By choosing to back the development of methanol vessels, the company has set a standard for the direction it is heading.
“For all ship owners ordering new vessels, it’s a big challenge to decide what kind of technology to go for, because it’s not a decision that can be made alone,” explained Mr Skodjevåg Bø. “We need clients that are willing to participate in this development. If you can get it, methanol produced by renewable energy is greenest fuel going at the moment, and also the most efficient.
“Clients like Equinor have also stated that this is something that they would like to work on together with us, to use as much methanol as possible in future operations,
because it will help them reach their environmental targets. So that’s why we do it.”
Of course, making low-emissions fuels a cost-efficient option will likely be the main challenge facing sustainable shipping for some time to come. To add to that, recruiting the right people also remains a challenge at Rem, as it is a challenge across the wider marine industry. Growth, however, will be the key driver in the company’s strategy for the future.
“Not growing for growth itself, but growing into, the right kind of assets, the right kind of clients, and the right kind of projects for our new vessels,” Mr Skodjevåg Bø explained. “We are serious about being
a strong partner and developing alongside our clients. Going forward, we need to have a fleet that is technologically driven. The standard for reducing emissions is important for us and important for our clients.”
People focused Rem is clearly doing very well when it comes to securing long-term contracts and staying ahead with the latest developments in technology. But it is the company’s skilled staff that complete the package. “It’s people that makes the vessels perform every day,” said Mr Skodjevåg Bø. “I think that’s our strongest asset, and also the reason why our clients come back time after time.
“Ultimately, our goal is to be a ship owner with a state-of-the-art fleet. There are lot of challenges for ship owners in this business, but we have the right people on board at the moment, people who are stepping up and wanting to achieve something.
I think that that’s a key factor to make this happen.”
For Mr Skodjevåg Bø, having joined the company in January from services provider Island Offshore, Rem’s history and achievements are part of what made it an appealing move. Having initially operated since the 1970s, Rem was re-established in 2016, by Åge Remøy and his partners, and has grown healthily ever since. According to Mr Skodjevåg Bø, this success story was impossible to ignore.
“Before I joined Rem, I was watching Rem from the outside, both as a supplier and a competitor,” Mr Skodjevåg Bø concluded. “It’s really impressive what Åge and his family and partners have achieved. Restarting Rem and turning it into a huge contributor to the offshore industry was extremely forward-thinking, and that is one of the reasons why I wanted to join the company.” n
