For Submar, Vytech realized the engineering, production, and assembly of specialized offshore machines for a complex decommissioning project in the North Sea. The project included the development of custom tools for clearing, cutting, and recovering offshore platform structures up to three meters below the seabed. Thanks to a strong collaboration between Submar and Vytech, innovative solutions were developed, tested, and successfully deployed at sea. With all production and assembly in-house, Vytech was able to guarantee speed, flexibility, and technical precision throughout the entire process.
The client
Submar is a specialized subsea and offshore partner with extensive expertise in underwater works, offshore engineering, and decommissioning projects. The company focuses on technically challenging assignments within the offshore industry, where safety, innovation, and reliability are central.
For this project, Submar sought a technical partner that could not only provide production capacity but also actively contribute to the engineering, optimization, and assembly of complex custom solutions. Thanks to the combination of Submar’s offshore know-how and Vytech’s technical expertise, a strong partnership emerged where innovation, speed, and flexibility were the keys to the project’s success.
The challenge
This project involved several extremely complex circumstances:
- Design and realization of complex custom tools for offshore decommissioning applications
- Engineering of machines that must function reliably and accurately under extreme offshore conditions
- Integration of various subsystems within a single total solution (cutting, cleaning, and recovery)
- Very high precision requirements when developing tools for abrasive water jet cutting below sea level
- Need for continuous coordination between design, production, and assembly throughout the entire process
- Prototype approach where designs were constantly optimized based on test results
- Tight timing and close cooperation between Submar and Vytech to realize the project within schedule
- Ensuring maximum reliability and safety before deployment in offshore conditions
Vytech’s solution
After an extensive engineering phase, all designs were jointly discussed, optimized, and technically developed. Vytech was then responsible for the production and assembly of the various offshore tools and machines in its own workshop.
Thanks to full in-house production capacity, adjustments could be implemented immediately during assembly and testing. This direct collaboration between designers, welders, turners, and technicians ensured an exceptionally efficient workflow and rapid problem-solving.
To guarantee maximum reliability, test piles and a test pit were built in the port of Ostend, where all movements and operational steps were extensively tested as if the machines were active offshore. Any points for improvement were immediately adjusted and retested.
The result
All offshore tools and machines functioned reliably under harsh conditions at sea and enabled the safe and compliant removal of the platform structures.
Vytech’s greatest added value lay in the combination of engineering, production, and assembly under one roof.
The project also confirmed the strong long-term partnership between Submar and Vytech, where innovation, technical expertise, and joint growth are central.
“It is a particularly interesting collaboration where all knowledge comes together. On the one hand, Submar has the expertise in offshore processes and subsea operations; on the other hand, Vytech, as a machine builder and construction partner, brings everything together to make this project a success. Because everything happens in-house, we can also respond much faster and realize projects more efficiently.”
– Martin Van Dromme, CEO Submar
Contact us
Does your company have a technically challenging engineering or custom project in prospect? Vytech supports companies with innovative machine building, construction work, and technical solutions tailored to complex industrial applications.