ROV
Motors
&
Subsea
Vehicle
Propulsion
Systems
The Silvercrest Submarines & SME Manufacturing Partnership
Silvercrest Submarines work with SME — Submersible Motor Engineering — a 100% Australian-owned and operated manufacturing company with ISO 9001 certification for the design, development, manufacture and testing of submersible and subsea electric motors. The SME manufacturing facility at Maddington, Perth houses a purpose-built 1,200 square foot workshop operating to rigorous quality assurance procedures, with thirty service-oriented staff capable of supporting all makes and models of submersible electric motor.
The partnership combines Silvercrest Submarines' deep operational knowledge of subsea vehicles with SME's precision manufacturing capability. This means customers do not simply receive a motor in a box — they receive engineered systems backed by commissioning engineers who travel to site to ensure correct installation, protection and operation. Silvercrest Submarines hold sales, service and repair capability in the UK, providing European operators with accessible technical support and proximity that a purely remote-supply relationship cannot match.
SME manufacture their own laminations, designed specifically to meet the individual requirements of each customer's project. Unlike manufacturers who fit off-the-shelf rotor sets into standard housings, SME's approach produces motors that are more efficient and generally more compact — in both diameter and length — than equivalent-power competitors. For ROV integrators and vessel operators where dimensional constraints within the ROV chassis are critical, this engineering discipline has direct operational value.
Silvercrest Submarines' supply chain supports operators across the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, West Africa, Asia-Pacific and Middle East, with UK-based technical access and Australian manufacturing capacity behind every project.
ROV Electric Motors — Standard and Bespoke Range
The Silvercrest Submarines / SME ROV motor range spans 1kW to 600kW, available in 2-pole, 4-pole, 6-pole and 8-pole configurations to suit the rotational speed requirements of different hydraulic pump and thruster applications. Standard voltages cover 400V, 3,000V, 3,300V, 4,160V and 6,600V AC at both 50Hz and 60Hz, ensuring compatibility with the power management systems of vessels operating under British, European, American and international standards.
Construction material selection is determined by the operating environment and the corrosion resistance requirements of the deployment:
316 Stainless Steel (SS316) is the standard specification for most offshore and commercial ROV applications, providing excellent corrosion resistance in seawater and compatibility with the aggressive subsea environment encountered on oil and gas, cable-lay and inspection programmes.
Duplex and Super Duplex Stainless Steel constructions are specified where particularly aggressive chemical environments, high-pressure conditions or elevated temperature differentials demand enhanced corrosion and stress-corrosion resistance beyond what standard SS316 provides.
Hard-Anodised Aluminium construction is available where weight minimisation is the primary design constraint, particularly relevant for smaller inspection and observation class ROVs where payload margins are limited. Aluminium-body motors receive a hard-anodised surface treatment to provide the corrosion protection required for sustained subsea operation.
All motors incorporate temperature sensing and water detection as standard, with compensation oil-filled designs used where the motor's internal pressure compensation needs to track ambient seawater pressure at depth. Oil compensator units — including 2.7-litre rolling diaphragm, positive-pressure compensators manufactured in corrosion-resistant materials — are available to suit ROVs, tooling and subsea trenching equipment.
ROV HPU Motor-Pump Sets
The majority of work class and light work class ROVs employ hydraulic power unit (HPU) architecture, where a high-voltage electric motor drives a hydraulic pump subsea to generate the hydraulic power that operates thrusters, manipulators, tooling and other systems. Silvercrest Submarines supply complete matched motor-pump sets, assembled and tested to full performance at the factory before despatch — eliminating the risk of incompatibility between motor and pump and ensuring the delivered system meets performance specification before it enters service.
ROV HPU submersible motors are available from 30kW to 250kW, and matched to hydraulic pumps from the Rexroth A7, A10 and A4 series, Sauer 90 series and Kawasaki KV3 series. Example configurations supplied include:
Water Jetting Pump Systems for Subsea Trenchers and Ploughs
Subsea trenching and cable ploughing operations demand high-volume, high-pressure water jetting capability to fluidise seabed material and achieve the burial depths required for pipeline and cable protection. Silvercrest Submarines supply complete water jetting pump systems combining SME submersible motors with purpose-designed impeller pumps specifically engineered for trenching applications.
The standard water jetting pump configuration employs an SME motor coupled directly to a pump with the impeller mounted directly on the motor shaft, eliminating gearbox bearings and reducing potential failure points. The impeller is the only significant wear component, and is designed for straightforward removal and replacement in the field. Systems are available from 100kW to 500kW for trenching applications, with depth ratings from 3,000m and above.
Representative specifications include:
Silvercrest Submarines have supplied trenching motor-pump sets to operators including CTC Marine Projects, for use on subsea plough and trenching vehicles deployed worldwide. The delivery in six weeks of ten 260kW, 3,000V AC, double-ended, 2-pole stainless steel motors for CTC demonstrates Silvercrest Submarines' manufacturing capacity and delivery capability against demanding project timescales.
Trenching motor-pump sets from Silvercrest Submarines have supported cable-lay and pipeline burial operations across the North Sea, Asia-Pacific and offshore West Africa.
Motor Rewinds, Repairs and Refurbishment
Beyond new manufacture, Silvercrest Submarines and SME provide a comprehensive repair, rewind and refurbishment service covering all makes and models of submersible and ROV electric motors. This service capability is particularly relevant for operators managing the lifecycle costs of established ROV fleets, where original equipment manufacturers no longer support legacy motor designs or where lead times for new units are commercially impractical.
Motors covered by the rewind and repair service include: Alstra, Aturia, Bamsa, Byron Jackson (B.J.), Elmaksan, Exodyne/EEMI, G.E., Hayward Tyler, Hitachi, Mercury, Oddesse, Pleuger, Saer, Subteck, Sumo, Sun Star, Grundfos, Franklin and others. High-voltage motor capability extends to complete rewinds at voltages from 200V to 6,600V, with a one-year warranty provided on all completed rewinds. Large motor capacity covers 500kW, 6,600V motors for the most demanding commercial offshore requirements.
The in-house service menu includes: dynamic testing; non-destructive testing; welding and machining; on-site or factory-based cable splicing; retro-fitting of condition monitoring equipment; modification of existing motors to upgrade them to higher specifications; refurbishment of ROV motors using more technically advanced materials; oil and water-filled motor repairs; troubleshooting and technical commissioning support.
Where an operator faces an urgent field requirement, Silvercrest Submarines' proximity in the UK provides a viable option for North Sea and European offshore operations that cannot absorb the transit times associated with sending equipment to remote facilities. Operators are invited to contact Silvercrest Submarines directly to discuss the condition and specification of motors requiring assessment.
AC Thruster Replacements for ROV Systems
Many established ROV platforms in active service were originally fitted with DC thrusters that are no longer readily available as replacement units, or which do not provide the performance characteristics of modern AC thruster technology. Silvercrest Submarines offer AC thruster motor replacements for existing DC thrusters across the range from 1kW to 50kW, enabling operators to modernise and extend the operational life of existing ROV platforms without full chassis replacement.
The replacement programme covers the commonly deployed ROV thruster sizes encountered in inspection and observation class, light work class and work class vehicles. Silvercrest Submarines supply direct replacement designs engineered to fit existing motor housings and interface dimensions wherever possible, minimising the engineering work required on the host ROV system.
Direct replacement motor designs are held for a number of the more widely deployed commercial ROV and subsea trenching systems, including Perry, Hydrovision and Slingsby underwater systems. Operators with systems from other manufacturers are invited to discuss their requirements; Silvercrest Submarines' engineering team will assess interface compatibility and advise on replacement options.
Subsea Electric Generators for Tidal and Renewable Applications
Silvercrest Submarines and SME extend manufacturing capability beyond propulsion motors into subsea electric generation, offering solutions for tidal power generation and other subsea renewable energy applications. Two generator configurations are available: induction generators and slow-speed permanent magnet synchronous generators, available to 500kW.
For tidal energy applications, the permanent magnet synchronous generator design is particularly relevant, capable of efficient generation at the lower rotational speeds associated with tidal turbine rotor systems without the need for gearbox multiplication that adds mechanical complexity and potential failure modes to subsea generator packages.
These generator systems are manufactured to the same material and depth-rating standards as the propulsion motor range, and are available in SS316, Duplex and Super Duplex stainless steel constructions to suit the corrosion environment of the deployment site. Interested parties involved in tidal and marine renewable energy projects are invited to contact Silvercrest Submarines to discuss requirements and assess suitability.
Why Specify Silvercrest Submarines ROV Motors
Engineered, not assembled. Silvercrest Submarines / SME manufacture their own laminations to customer-specific requirements, rather than adapting off-the-shelf rotor sets. This results in motors that are optimally matched to the power, speed and dimensional envelope of each application — producing higher efficiency and more compact designs than standard catalogue products.
Proven operational supply chain. Silvercrest Submarines have supplied motors and motor-pump sets to some of the most demanding operators in the offshore sector, including SMD, Saab SeaEye, Fugro, CTC Marine Projects, Perry Slingsby, Subsea7, Saudi Aramco and others. The operational track record demonstrates both technical capability and the logistical ability to deliver to project timescales. Systems have been delivered to projects in the North Sea, Gulf of Mexico, West Africa, Asia-Pacific and Middle East.
Complete system supply. Rather than supplying motors as standalone items and leaving integration engineering to the buyer, Silvercrest Submarines offer complete motor-pump sets matched and tested at the factory. This factory acceptance testing reduces commissioning risk and provides documented performance data before the system enters service.
Replacement and legacy support. The rewind, repair and refurbishment capability means that Silvercrest Submarines can support ROV motors across the full operational lifecycle, not just at the point of initial supply. This is particularly valuable for operators maintaining mixed fleets with motors from multiple manufacturers.
European technical access. With UK-based sales, service and repair capability and an Australian manufacturing facility, Silvercrest Submarines provide European ROV operators with accessible technical support backed by full manufacturing capacity. Direct contact with the technical team is available during standard UK business hours, with urgent requirements assessed on an individual basis.
Technical Enquiries and Ordering
Silvercrest Submarines' technical team welcomes enquiries from ROV operators, system integrators, offshore contractors and subsea engineering companies. To progress a motor or motor-pump set requirement efficiently, the following information assists in providing an accurate specification and quotation:
For replacement and repair enquiries, the motor's nameplate data, manufacturer, model and a description of the fault or service requirement is sufficient to begin assessment. Silvercrest Submarines are available to discuss requirements by email at sales@silvercrestsubmarines.com.