NEXT GEOSOLUTIONS AND GREEN YARD KLEVEN TEAM UP FOR THE CONVERSION OF THE SURVEY VESSEL “NG EXPLORER”
Naples, June 5, 2025 – Next Geosolutions Europe S.p.A., a leading international company in marine geosciences and offshore construction support services, and the renown Norwegian shipyard Green Yard Kleven announce a collaboration agreement for the conversion of the vessel named NG EXPLORER. The vessel will be converted to perform high-spec seabed surveys worldwide.
The NG EXPLORER is 58 metres long and 14 metres wide, and has got a draft of 4.5 metres, which makes her suitable also for shallow water environments.
Originally built in 2010 as an offshore vessel, she has recently been used in aquaculture but will now be rebuilt for operations in the offshore energy sector, specifically for geophysical, geotechnical, environmental and UXO seabed investigations.
The ship will be equipped with a new accommodation module to increase onboard personnel capacity, as well as meeting rooms, a control room, and offices. She will also be fitted with a launch and recovery system (LARS) for ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles). At the stern, an A-frame and various other deck equipment will be installed. The entire ship will be upgraded to operate also in high-temperature waters.
All equipment and materials removed from the vessel will either be reused in this conversion, repurposed for other projects at the yard, or sold. The goal is to keep waste generation to an absolute minimum. Green Yard Kleven has previously been involved in converting this vessel for another owner and is excited to once again extend the vessel’s lifespan and offer high-quality used equipment to the market. This is a good example of circular economy in yard and its sustainable operations”, added Michail Drakakis, Technical Fleet Manager at Next Geosolutions.
“We at Green Yard are proud to once again work with an international shipping company that has chosen our yard because of our focus on sustainability. It shows that our business model works”, says CEO of Green Yard Kleven Hans Jørgen Fedog.
“It’s especially exciting to announce such a major commission this week, right in the middle of the Nor-Shipping exhibition in Oslo”, says Karl Johan Barstad, Sales Manager for Retrofit at Green Yard Kleven, “We’re present at the exhibition - which is the most important arena for the maritime industry in Norway - with our own stand, well represented by both our sales and procurement departments”.
Grieg Shipbrokers and Wikborg Rein have participated in the process leading up to this contract.
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This press release is available in the News section of the website https://www.nextgeo.eu/, and www.greenyard.no
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ABOUT NEXTGEO GROUP
Next Geosolutions (NextGeo) is a leading international group in the field of marine geosciences and support for the construction of offshore infrastructures in the energy sector, with a particular focus on renewable energy. Founded at the end of 2014 and part of the Marnavi Group - Italy’s largest shipowner operating globally in the offshore sector - NextGeo offers high-quality consulting and engineering design support services and turnkey solutions, thanks to significant established know-how in the offshore sector. With an extensive fleet of state-of-the-art DP 2 class vessels, belonging to and/or owned by the Group, and a multi-ethnic team of more than 550 qualified and experienced professionals, NextGeo provides a wide range of services from specialised consulting in the field of marine geophysics and geotechnics, environmental and archaeological surveys to the identification and removal of UXO (Unexploded Ordnance Disposal investigations), as well as offshore construction support services. NextGeo ended 2024 with a value of production amounting to € 203.3 million and a net profit of € 43.1 million.
ABOUT Green Yard
Green Yard aims to be the most sustainable alternative in the ship yard industry. The shipyards Green Yard Kleven in Ulsteinvik and Green Yard Feda by Flekkefjord are part of the Green Yard Group. The shipyards offer all types of services for ships and rigs for practice and highly sustainable.
Green Yard will deliver a complete turn-key project to Next Geosolutions, also including design and engineering, with its internal technical department supported by Nelton Design. The yard will also deliver equipment, new and 2nd hand, as well as coordinate the re-classing process. The vessel is scheduled for delivery by the end of 2025.
“We are convinced that Green Yard's quality and delivery precision are critical to the success of this project, which is why we chose them as a partner”, commented Attilio Ievoli, President of Next Geosolutions.
“Throughout the contract process, we developed strong trust in Green Yard Kleven and are impressed by the
both national and international customers. This can be anything from small projects to large and complicated conversions, new builds, rig service, ship recycling and mobile yard services. Both yards are ISO certified in the areas of environment and quality.
contact
INVESTOR RELATIONS - NEXT GEOSOLUTIONS
Giuseppe Maffia – Investor Relations Manager – ir@nextgeosolutions.com
Vincenzo Marotti – Investor Relations Manager – ir@nextgeosolutions.com
green yard
Hans Jørgen Fedog (CEO) – hans.fedog@greenyard.no
istitutional press office nextgeo
cdr communication
Angelo Brunello – angelo.brunello@cdr-communication.it
Stefania Trevisol – stefania.trevisol@cdr-communication.it
