TotalEnergies has teamed up with Regent, a US company pioneering the use of electrically powered ‘seagliders’ to transport personnel offshore
Together, TotalEnergies and Regent are exploring the use of Regent’s all-electric seaglider to transport personnel to offshore windfarms and offshore oil and gas platforms.
The seaglider is a wing-in-ground-effect craft that operates a few metres above the surface of the sea and couples the high speed of an aircraft with the low operating cost of a vessel.
The innovative gliders are designed to operate in hull, hydrofoil or ‘wing-in-ground effect’ mode. In the latter mode, the seaglider is airborne.
Full-scale prototypes will begin sea trials by 2023 and commercial versions are due to be in service in 2025. A prototype seaglider completed an initial series of flights – proving its ‘float, foil and fly’ mission – in September 2022.
TotalEnergies manager logistics and support operations Ludovic Macé said, “We are excited to work with Regent to explore new avenues for the deployment of all-electric seaglider technology that makes maritime transit greener and more efficient.
“This partnership is part of TotalEnergies’ strategy to be a player in electric mobility and aligns with our goals of reducing our carbon footprint and improving safety and operational efficiency.”
Regent chief executive Billy Thalheimer said, “The seaglider promises to make maritime travel faster, more cost-effective and environmentally sustainable. By collaborating with industry leaders like TotalEnergies, we are advancing towards the global transition to clean transport.”
Together, the partners will identify offshore energy sites and ‘pilot’ the seaglider along a route to a selected platform. Following the initial pilot, Regent and TotalEnergies will explore new routes and conduct additional pilot projects to drive longer-term co-operation opportunities.
Regent said seagliders have a range of 160 nautical miles with existing battery technology, which will be upgradeable to in excess of 400 nautical miles with next-generation battery technology.
