Film-Ocean

What Film-Ocean does

Film-Ocean is an independent subsea contractor providing ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) inspection and intervention services to the global offshore energy industry. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, the company operates a versatile fleet ranging from micro-class observation ROVs through to 250-hp heavy work-class systems rated to depths of 4,000 metres, including Schilling HD, Quasar, SMD Quantum, SMD Atom, and Comanche platforms, along with patented tooling such as the Chain Measurement System and the Compact LARS. Its services are organised into five lines: UWILD (Underwater Inspection in Lieu of Drydocking), IRM (Inspection, Repair and Maintenance), Renewables, Decommissioning, and Drill Support, delivered via platform/asset-based or vessel-based deployment.

The company's commercial model is project-based, with quote-driven pricing tailored to client requirements across ROV class, tooling, deployment method, and duration. Film-Ocean serves oil and gas operators, offshore wind developers, drilling contractors, and decommissioning clients across the UK Continental Shelf, Mediterranean, West Africa (Angola, Ghana, Ivory Coast), Taiwan, and Norway, with over 100 UWILD inspections completed globally. The company holds class-approved service supplier status with ABS, Bureau Veritas, DNV-GL, and Lloyd's Register, alongside ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, Cyber Essentials, and Achilles Utilities certifications, providing the regulatory credentials required to deliver in-water surveys worldwide.

Film-Ocean is a wholly-owned subsidiary of STAPEM Group (acquired in February 2019) and operates a Remote Operations Centre at its purpose-built Ocean House headquarters, developed in partnership with HonuWorx to enable onshore remote support for offshore ROV operations. The company has been investing heavily in fleet expansion, geographic reach, and senior leadership under CEO Merv New (appointed 2024), including a 50% workforce expansion over two years, the addition of three new SMD work-class ROVs in 2025-2026, and a new Newcastle office in 2026. Revenue is generated through professional services contracts and managed services for ROV rental and deployment, with sustainability credentials including ISO 14001 certification and carbon neutral status achieved in 2025.

Name

Film-Ocean

Legal name

Film-Ocean Ltd.

Website

https://film-ocean.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Film-Ocean is a UK-based subsea ROV inspection and intervention services contractor serving oil and gas operators, offshore wind developers, drilling contractors, and decommissioning clients across the North Sea, Mediterranean, West Africa, and Asia-Pacific, with operations spanning UWILD, IRM, renewables, decommissioning, and drill support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Subsea ROV Services

NAICS

Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Underwater Inspection, Maintenance & Repair (UWILD, Diving/ROV, In-water Cleaning) (IMAJAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Underwater Hull Inspection, Cleaning & Propeller Services (TLAKAKAJ), Underwater Hull Services (Diving, In-Water Cleaning, Propeller Polishing, Inspection) (TLAHAMAL)

Keywords

• ROV inspection services
• Subsea intervention
• UWILD inspections
• Offshore wind services
• Decommissioning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Ellon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. ROV Inspection and Intervention Services: Core revenue stream from providing ROV inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM), UWILD, and survey services to offshore energy clients. Services are delivered using company's owned and operated fleet of ROV systems with experienced offshore and onshore personnel.
2. ROV Equipment Rental and Deployment: Rental and deployment of ROV systems and associated tooling to clients. Includes options for platform-based or vessel-based deployment with various ROV classes from micro to heavy work class.
3. Specialist Tooling and Survey Services: Additional revenue from specialised inspection tooling including chain measuring, 3D photogrammetry, cavitation jetting, NDT services, and enhanced inspection capabilities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Film-Ocean is an independent subsea contractor providing ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) inspection and intervention services to the global offshore energy industry. It deploys an owned-and-operated fleet of ROV systems ranging from micro-class to 4000m heavy work class via platform/asset-based or ROV support vessel operations, delivering five core service lines: UWILD, IRM, Renewables, Decommissioning, and Drill Support.

Product overview

Film-Ocean is an independent subsea contractor providing ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) inspection and intervention services to the global offshore energy industry. The company operates a versatile fleet of industry-leading ROV assets organized into five service divisions: UWILD (Underwater Inspection in Lieu of Drydock), IRM (Inspection, Repair and Maintenance), Renewables, Decommissioning, and Drill Support. The ROV fleet ranges from HD Work Class systems (Quantum 250hp, Atom 100hp, Schilling HD 150hp, Quasar 150hp) capable of depths up to 4000m, to Inspection Class systems (Cougar-XT, Panther-XT, Falcon) and Micro Class systems (LBV, Videoray). Supporting tooling includes Chain Measuring Systems, 3D Photogrammetry, and Cavitation Jetting Systems. The company also offers Remote ROV Support Services via the HonuWorx cloud-edge platform. Services are delivered through versatile deployment options suitable for platform/asset-based or ROV support vessel operations, supported by highly experienced management and project management teams.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 UWILD inspections delivered globally
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SMD (Soil Machine Dynamics)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 September 2025Strategic partnership with SMD, a global ROV technology manufacturer, for the supply of work-class ROV systems. Film-Ocean has ordered multiple ROVs including Quantum and Atom systems with active heave compensated LARS. The partnership includes support agreements for services and spares. SMD described Film-Ocean as a forward-thinking and dynamic organization with world-class facilities.
• HonuWorxcoreTechnology or Integration · 14 September 2023Remote technology partnership with HonuWorx to develop and implement remote ROV services using their cloud-edge platform. The collaboration combines high-tech satellite communications and remote operations to ensure uninterrupted offshore operations. Film-Ocean utilizes HonuWorx technology to offer clients reliable remote operations support independent of asset IT infrastructure.
• Global Underwater Hub (GUH)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFilm-Ocean presents to and engages with GUH members at industry events. The partnership provides opportunities to showcase expertise and technology to the subsea industry community.
• Robert Gordon University (RGU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with RGU as main sponsor of MATE ROV Scotland Regional competition. Film-Ocean provides deepwater test tank facilities for student team preparation and volunteers technical support at events.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• M2 Subsea: UK-headquartered independent subsea contractor providing ROV, intervention, and tooling services to the offshore energy sector. Highly comparable in size, scope, customer base, and North Sea / Mediterranean geographic focus to Film-Ocean.
• DeepOcean: Independent subsea services provider offering ROV-based IRM, survey, and decommissioning support to oil & gas and offshore wind clients. Closest size-and-scope comparable to Film-Ocean, including North Sea focus, IRM/UWILD work, and offshore wind installation support.
• ROVOP: Independent ROV operator providing work-class ROV services for inspection, intervention, and survey to oil & gas and offshore wind clients. Direct competitor to Film-Ocean on day-rate ROV provision across UK and European markets; now part of Acteon group.

Broad incumbents

• Helix Energy Solutions Group: Subsea well intervention and ROV services company with work-class ROV fleet and robotics operations. Comparable to Film-Ocean on ROV-based inspection, intervention, and survey for oil & gas operators, including UWILD-type scopes.
• Fugro: Global geo-data specialist with significant subsea inspection and survey capability, including ROV, AUV and emerging autonomous inspection technologies. Direct overlap with Film-Ocean's site survey, cable survey, and offshore wind survey services.
• Oceaneering International: Global subsea engineering and ROV operator with one of the world's largest work-class ROV fleets (~300+). Directly comparable to Film-Ocean's UWILD, IRM, drill support and survey services, but operating at vastly greater scale and across integrated intervention, tooling, and manufacturing businesses.
• Subsea 7: Integrated subsea construction and IRM contractor with a substantial ROV fleet. Overlaps Film-Ocean on subsea inspection, intervention, and renewables installation support, particularly in North Sea and Mediterranean.
• TechnipFMC: Integrated subsea engineering, manufacturing and services provider with substantial ROV/survey capabilities. Overlaps Film-Ocean on subsea inspection, intervention, and offshore wind installation support across multiple regions.
• Saipem: Major offshore engineering and construction contractor with subsea ROV capabilities. Overlaps Film-Ocean in offshore installation, IRM, and survey scopes, especially Mediterranean and West Africa operations.

Regional players

• IKM Subsea: Norwegian-headquartered ROV and subsea services provider focused on the North Sea market. Comparable to Film-Ocean on ROV-based inspection, intervention, and tooling services for offshore energy operators in the Nordic region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/FilmOcean1
• Facebookfacebook.com/FilmOcean1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/film-ocean
• Instagraminstagram.com/film.ocean

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Film-Ocean