Ocean Flyer Seagliders Manufacturer Receives Approval In Principle For A Wing-in-Ground Vessel Classification

Ocean Flyer Seagliders Manufacturer REGENT Receives Approval in Principle for a Wing-in-Ground Vessel Classification from Bureau Veritas

Significant milestone hit for Ocean Flyer Seagliders design certification process

• A key milestone hit in bringing seagliders to Aotearoa
• REGENT receives Approval in Principle (AiP) from Bureau Veritas for the design of its novel seaglider, a wing-in-ground effect vehicle that travels exclusively over the water
• The Approval in Principle (AiP) is a critical certification milestone for the REGENT seaglider, paving the way for a Design Appraisal process and the vehicle’s commercialization
• Bureau Veritas provides technical guidance for the independent, risk-based qualification of innovative technologies such as REGENT seagliders

REGENT announces it has received an Approval in Principle (AiP) from Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore for its 12-passenger, fully electric, wing-in-ground effect seaglider, the Viceroy. This AiP marks an important certification milestone for seagliders, offering a clear path for the vehicle’s classification as a wing in ground effect (WIG) maritime vessel and the commencement of commercial seaglider operations. REGENT currently has a backlog of $12B in provisional orders for their seagliders from ferry, aviation and seaglider operators.

The Approval in Principle (AiP) is a validated third-party technical assessment for the seaglider completed by Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore. The AiP is the culmination of a 10-month long engagement between REGENT and Bureau Veritas engineers, which included a series of workshops encompassing aspects of the vehicle’s structure, mechanical systems, avionics, propulsion, and safety systems. Throughout the process, Bureau Veritas provided preliminary expert advice with a focus on the early identification of rules and regulatory framing for the seaglider’s classification.

“This is a significant milestone on the journey towards bringing seagliders to Aotearoa's blue highway. It demonstrates that partnering with REGENT was the right decision and that Kiwis can be confident that Ocean Flyer will soon offer this fully electric mode of mass public transport. The climate crisis has arrived. The need to accelerate emissions reduction gets more pressing every day. Ocean Flyer is proud to be taking the lead as the first seaglider-only transport business in the world. As always with initiatives like this, a Kiwi company is taking the lead in delivering sustainable, affordable, fast, and accessible transport," said Shah Aslam, CEO of Ocean Flyer.

“This certification milestone is a hugely important moment for the seaglider’s design and technical maturity. It is the first major artifact of our maritime certification process. The Approval in Principle confirms we are on an achievable certification path towards the ultimately the commercialization of seagliders.” said Billy Thalheimer, co-founder and CEO of REGENT. “Bureau Veritas and their deep bench of engineering talent with complex maritime vessel experience, has proven a tremendous partner in our certification activities to date, and we are excited to deepen the relationship as we look ahead to the next phase of our design approval process.”

The Approval in Principle (AiP) will be followed by a design appraisal process, a series of technical studies that are now underway that will allow the implementation of the seaglider’s design and operation without significant risk of compliance or qualification issues. In conducting a Design Appraisal, Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore will provide an independent, safety-based certification of REGENT’s seaglider design. REGENT will also be leveraging the AiP in support of a Design Basis Agreement (DBA) with the US Coast Guard, which is expected later this year before Christmas. The AiP and DBA form a classification and certification basis with both Bureau Veritas and the US Coast Guard, similar to the G-1 and G-2 issue paper used in FAA aircraft certification.

Bureau Veritas is a world leading classification society with 190 years’ experience. The company has a proud history of enabling ground breaking technology, which now also includes the revolutionary zero emission REGENT seaglider. Accordingly, this AiP is a significant step towards comprehensive certification, firstly within Aotearoa, and eventually across other international markets.

“Maritime Decarbonisation is a critical outcome for Aotearoa and our Pacific Island neighbors; and the REGENT seaglider offers an ideal solution as part of this process. The speed, cost, small size and simple berthing, may completely change what was logistically and commercially unfeasible for high speed maritime transport. However to ensure safety, performance and compliance, significant multi-discipline industry expertise is needed. Bureau Veritas are proud to be a part of this solution, working in close partnership with REGENT, Ocean Flyer and Maritime New Zealand. Together, we’ll focus international expertise to deliver this uniquely Kiwi outcome” says Dwayne Boyes, Strategic Development Manager NZ and South Pacific, Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore.

About Ocean Flyer

Ocean Flyer signed a historic $700m agreement in April this year with REGENT to bring 25 seagliders to New Zealand. Ocean Flyer is the first seaglider-only company setup in the world to bring sustainable, fully electric, fast, affordable and comfortable new mode for mass public transport. Ocean Flyer is committed to connecting communities across the motu, tackling climate change, and building a more resilient and affordable transport network for everyone.

For more information, visit www.oceanflyer.co.nz 

About REGENT 
REGENT is pioneering the future of sustainable maritime mobility. REGENT builds seagliders, a new category of electric vehicle that operates exclusively over the water that will drastically reduce the time and cost of moving people and goods between coastal cities. Seagliders will service routes up to 290kms with existing battery technology and up to 800kms with next-generation batteries, via existing dock infrastructure. For more information, visit regentcraft.com 

About Bureau Veritas
Bureau Veritas is a world leader in laboratory testing, inspection and certification services. Created in 1828, the Group has more than 78,000 employees located in more than 1,500 offices and laboratories around the globe. Bureau Veritas helps its clients improve their performance by offering services and innovative solutions in order to ensure that their assets, products, infrastructure and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environmental protection and social responsibility.

Bureau Veritas is listed on Euronext Paris and belongs to the Next 20 index.

Compartment A, ISIN code FR 0006174348, stock symbol: BVI.

For more information, visit https://bureauveritas.com

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