The beginning.
With more than 15 years’ experience in commercial diving, we establish Dive Works Subsea Solutions and form a three-person dive team.
As an Australian first, we design an in-situ marine growth removal and net cleaning system for the aquaculture industry using high-pressure water blasting, reducing cost, time, and manpower for underwater inspection and maintenance work.
We enter the world of subsea ROV operations with the purchase of our first Observation Class Seaeye Falcon – a compact, highly versatile platform for underwater inspection.
We begin recruiting and training ROV pilots, technicians, and supervisors, building our specialist subsea ROV capability.
With expansion into offshore energy, we acquire our second Seaeye Falcon and continue to grow our ROV inspection team.
We launch our website, appoint marketing and HSEQ consultants, and complete a Business Focus program to reposition Dive Works as a leading offshore ROV service provider.
Demand for subsea ROV inspection in Bass Strait and Western Australia increases, with key clients including AGR, ROC Oil, Santos, Nexus Energy, and Origin Energy.
We receive grant funding from the Tasmanian Enterprise Growth Program.
Dive Works is awarded ISO ANZ/NS OHS 4801:2001 and ISO QA 9001:2008 certification, strengthening our safety and quality systems across subsea ROV and underwater inspection operations.
We achieve ISO ANZ/NS EMS 14001:2004 certification.
Our Diving Safety Management System (DSMS) is approved by NOPSEMA, reinforcing our commitment to safety across offshore energy and ROV inspection campaigns.
Dive Works becomes the first company globally to purchase the Seaeye Leopard Work Class ROV significantly expanding our subsea ROV inspection and IRM capability.
We recruit additional ROV pilots, technicians, and supervisors to support large-scale offshore projects.
We receive Victorian Government Entrepreneur Grant funding and upgrade ISO QMS certification to ISO 9001:2015.
We implement strategic planning, dashboard reporting, and continuous improvement processes.
We recruit CSWIP 3.4U Inspectors for offshore ROV inspection reporting and design a proprietary Leak Rate Monitoring System.
Major ESSO outcomes include:
- Emergency ROV inspection of the Cobia Riser and clamp
- GVI, survey, and leak detection using Observation Class ROVs
- Successful completion of the 2015 Offshore ROV Campaign
- Offshore cost reductions through Work Class ROV deployment from smaller vessels
- Operational uptime improvement from 20% to 90%
Key strategic recruits include a Saab Seaeye engineer involved in Leopard ROV design, our CFO, and HSEQ Coordinator.
Our offshore ROV teams pass ESSO audits and safety induction programs.
Major projects include:
- ESSO Offshore ROV Campaign
- ExxonMobil PNG Offshore Pipeline Survey
- Twinza Oil PNG crater survey
- Origin Energy caisson stabilisation (Otway Basin)
R&D enables rapid CP readings through concrete weight coat using subsea ROV inspection, reducing inspection time from 45 minutes to three minutes.
We implement global Incident Management and Plant & Equipment Maintenance systems.
We recruit senior leadership across offshore ROV operations, marketing, business development, and ICT.
We reposition Dive Works as a Primary Service Provider for subsea ROV inspection and relaunch our website.
For ESSO, we complete the 2017 Offshore ROV Campaign, including eight emergency break-in jobs.
R&D milestones include the first successful ROV-deployed diamond wire saw caisson cut and the introduction of BlueView 3D Sonar for advanced underwater inspection.
Operations relocate to expanded facilities in Carrum Downs (VIC), with finance and admin based in Hobart (TAS).
We complete the 2017/18 Offshore ROV Campaign for ESSO, including 16 emergency break-ins.
R&D enables ROV-based caisson relocation and subsea umbilical cutting and blanking procedures replacing diver intervention with subsea ROV inspection and intervention.
Our updated DSMS is accepted by NOPSEMA.
We acquire a second Seaeye Leopard Work Class ROV.
We complete subsea ROV inspection and NDT of SNA platform welds, including marine growth removal to Sa2.5 for ESSO.
We receive further Tasmanian Government grant funding.
We upgrade to ISO 45001:2018 and ISO 14001:2015 certification, reinforcing safety and environmental standards across all ROV inspection and underwater inspection operations.
Dive Works Subsea Solutions joins as part-owner, bringing two decades of offshore ROV expertise, operational experience, and engineering innovation.
Secure the Accelerator Commercialisation funding from the Australian Government, enabling rapid development and testing of new subsea innovative technology – The Apama ROV Net Repair System, setting the stage for global export.
Dive Works made a strategic decision to invest in the development of advanced subsea technology, laying the foundation for what would become Southern Ocean Subsea. This investment marked the beginning of a transition toward innovation and the development of subsea solutions for the global aquaculture industry.
Southern Ocean Subsea accelerated the development and commercialisation of subsea inspection and robotics technologies, building on the operational expertise of Dive Works. The technology began gaining traction with aquaculture operators and industry partners both locally and internationally.
The subsea technologies developed through the collaboration between Dive Works and Southern Ocean Subsea achieved global recognition and industry awards. Within less than five years, the company successfully exported its innovative subsea technology to international aquaculture markets.
