Nauti-Craft and OFFCON enter into a Development and License Agreement
Nauti-Craft Pty Ltd and OFFCON GmbH have entered into a Development and License Agreement with the purpose of introducing a novel range of multi-purpose daughter craft to the offshore wind industry, the company said in its release.
The first of this range of boats incorporating Nauti-Craft technology, an 18m design, is well advanced in its development having been supported with design assistance from Nauti-Craft over the last 6 months.
OFFCON have secured exclusive rights to manufacture the multi-purpose daughter craft vessels incorporating Nauti-Craft technology in Germany with the right to sell them worldwide. This exclusivity is for a finite period and is subject to meeting certain sales performance criteria.
OFFCON was introduced to Nauti-Craft technology in 2014 and their founder, Harald Hübner, visited Nauti-Craft in 2015 and undertook an evaluation of the technology through sea trials of Nauti-Craft 2 Play development vessel. Harald maintained contact with Nauti-Craft and during 2019 saw an opportunity to develop a unique range of vessels for the offshore wind market.
After Nauti-Craft was contracted to carry out initial design work in order to present the vessel concepts to potential customers OFFCON elected to proceed with securing the licensing rights.
In a nod to the Australian DNA in this new range of boats, OFFCON has established a company to build them called Wallaby Boats GmbH. Three types planned currently are the Wallaby-18, Wallaby-16 and the Wallaby-14. The smaller boats are designed to be daughter craft with an OFFCON patented single point hoist that adjusts for variable Centre of Gravity and the bigger boats can be large daughter craft or small Crew Transfer Vessel.
Nauti-Craft’s Managing Director, Ken Johnsen, stated, “We are very pleased to enter into this relationship with OFFCON. Harald Hübner, as an experienced vessel operator, immediately saw the benefits of the Nauti-Craft technology after evaluating the technology first hand. Since that time, he has been a passionate supporter and we look forward to a fruitful relationship”
About Offcon
OFFCON GmbH based in Kappeln Germany was founded 1989 by Capt. Dipl.-Ing. Harald Hübner and Capt. Dipl.-Ing. Ralf Tewes. Originally, the company’s main focus was on providing training, and the development of training and operations documentation, for the company’s main client, China Petroleum Corporation (CPC) in Taiwan. OFFCON provided training in seabed research (SONAR and MAD) and in deep diving operations (air and mixed gas), and in the use of ROVs. Nowadays, OFFCON provides a wide variety of marine services. The company has focused on servicing the European wind farm sector since its beginnings in the late-1990s. OFFCON has contributed to various offshore wind projects in northern Europe.
About Wallaby Boats
The Wallaby Boats GmbH is a ship building company founded in 2020 with the main purpose of building the Wallaby Boats between 14 and 18 meters of length.
The company is based in Kappeln (Germany) and is using production facilities in Bremen, Nortorf and Olpenitz for the WB-18. The WB-14 will be produced in Olpenitz (Germany), Nortorf (Germany) and Fåborg (Denmark).
Wallaby Boats GmbH is 98% owned by OFFCON GmbH and 2% owned by employees. OFFCON GmbH is privately owned by Capt. Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing.Harald Hübner.
About Nauti-Craft
Based in Dunsborough, Western Australia, Nauti-Craft is a flexible “skunkworks” style R&D company with a small highly experienced team of engineers, technicians and naval architects who specialise in taking radical new concepts from proof-of-concept stage to commercially viable prototypes. Nauti-Craft has a growing IP portfolio of eleven international patents families dating back to 2002.