Two Winners of the UTC Award

This year the competition was tough – and with an exceptionally high level of innovation. Therefore, the price is collected by two winning developments!

Text source: utc.no.

The UTC Award, presented annually at the Underwater Technology Conference in Bergen, honors outstanding contributions and innovations in underwater technology.

It is designed to recognize, celebrate, and showcase the many outstanding achievements within the global industry.

In groundbreaking achievements for subsea technology, the winners of the UTC Award 2025 are the Reach Remote project with Reach Subsea and partner Kongsberg Maritime, and TechnipFMC with their Riserless Coiled Tubing operation.

Congratulations to both of these well-deserved innovations!

The Reach Remote Project

The Reach Remote project, led by Reach Subsea VP Bjørg Mathisen Døving, together with Marthe Kristine Sand from Kongsberg Maritime, represents a significant advancement in safety, environmental sustainability, and efficiency for subsea operations requiring a work-class ROV.

Reach Remote is a 24-meter long Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) designed exclusively for remote operation, with no onboard space for personnel during its missions. It features the first USV equipped with a work-class ROV, currently undergoing pilot testing with Equinor, Total Energies, and Harbour Energy.

The ROV is a 150hp Kystdesign model with electrical thrusters, significantly reducing maintenance needs. At 24 meters long and over 300 tons, this USV is unprecedented in size and capability for real operations.

Estimates indicate that Reach Remote can perform 75% of the tasks typically handled by a conventional manned subsea vessel (MSV). This innovation leads to substantially reduced emissions, lower operational costs, and eliminates risks to offshore personnel.

The USV has successfully performed a wide range of tasks, including gravimetry demonstrations, infield pipeline inspection, seabed mapping, structural inspection, environmental monitoring, and patrol operations.
Riserless Coiled Tubing

In September 2024 TechnipFMC, in collaboration with Halliburton, performed the first ever Riserless Coiled Tubing (RLCT) operation in a live subsea well. The project represents a major milestone for subsea intervention. Project Manager Thomas Øia from TechnipFMC leads the operation.

RLCT is a key enabler toward cost effective production enhancement and plug and abandonment operations and closes the biggest gap that existed so far in riserless intervention: the ability to run coiled tubing in a live well without the use of a riser.

Operations were successfully completed in the UK in September 2024 from the Riserless Light Well Intervention Vessel Island Constructor, equipped with a fully integrated riserless intervention system. A coiled tubing dual-injector + subsea stripper system has been designed, built, qualified, and tested.

The intervention program aimed at putting a suspended well back in production and included milling of a suspension plug, scale clean-out and scale squeeze, fishing, perforating, acid treatment and straddle/safety valve installation.

In terms of industry value, the solution is safer, faster, has a lower environmental footprint and improved economics. This proves remarkable work in intervention technology.

Congratulations to the winners!

With the recipe of the UTC Award, both winners have solidified their positions as leaders in subsea technology. These milestones signify a major step forward in the quest for safer, more efficient, and environmentally friendly underwater exploration. Congratulations to both of the winners of the UTC Award of 2025!