REGENT has received an Approval in Principle (AiP) from Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore for its 12-passenger, fully electric, wing-in-ground effect (WIG) 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.
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.
This certification milestone is an extremely important moment for the seaglider’s design and technical maturity. It is the first major outcome of our maritime certification process
said Billy Thalheimer, co-founder and CEO of REGENT.
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 this fall.
