Orkney-based marine engineering firm Green Marine UK has played a key role in a major milestone for ocean engineering company DEEP, acting as Principal Contractor to deliver the successful submergence test of DEEP's pioneering subsea habitat, Vanguard, at Kishorn Port in the Scottish Highlands.
DEEP is working to establish permanent human habitation on the seafloor. The Vanguard habitat is a key step in this mission – a modular, transportable, pressurized vessel designed to allow humans to live underwater at depths of up to 200 meters for extended periods. Ultimately, Vanguard will pave the way for DEEP's larger habitat system known as Sentinel.
Image Credit: DEEP
Green Marine UK has been involved in the initiative from its early stages, identifying potential deployment sites across UK waters, and execution of all marine operations for Vanguard's submergence and testing. Acting as Principal Contractor for all marine works, Green Marine's oversight and coordination were instrumental in the success of the trials and in DEEP securing DNV approval.
Green Marine's Managing Director, Jason Schofield, expressed pride in the company's contribution. “It's an honour to be supporting the DEEP initiative, which continues to attract global attention,” he said. “Green Marine's involvement reinforces the strong trust and reputation we've built over many years providing complex marine engineering services.”
Image Credit: DEEP
Myles Metson, Green Marine's Operations & Technology Director, noted that this was another example of Green Marine maximising the capabilities of its MultiCat vessel — including tandem crane lifts, coordinated load transfers from crane to winch, subsea deployment, umbilical handling, and recovery. All operations were completed safely and efficiently, in line with ALARP principles.
The recent operation at Kishorn Port involved externally pressure-testing the Vanguard hull in a controlled marine environment, a critical step in verifying its structural integrity under realistic conditions. The test marks a major technical achievement for the project, laying the groundwork for human-occupied trials in the near future.
Image Credit: DEEP
Tom Allison, Pressure Vessel Lead at DEEP commented: “We've reached a major milestone in our journey to deploying our first subsea human habitat. This success follows an enormous amount of work, from meticulous design and analysis, to Whittaker Engineering's precision machining of over 200 bespoke hull components. Special thanks to the Green Marine team for running a flawless operation, and to DNV for design approvals and product certification, along with Orca and Kishorn Dock staff for dockside support and de-risk testing.”
Source: GREEN MARINE UK