UK shipbuilder Wight Shipyard Co is continuing to build on its solid reputation in the commercial ferry build sector by becoming involved with a new company set up to build the most capable and efficient explorer vessels available on the market, the company said in its release.
Arksen is developing, building and supporting semi-autonomous, hybrid explorer vessels, responsibly designed from the ground up to have the least impact on the environment and take adventurers to the most inaccessible corners of the world’s oceans.
Wight Shipyard Co has been appointed to develop the fleet of Arksen series vessels including the Arksen 70, Arksen 85 and Arksen 100, in a team also comprising fellow south coast businesses Humphreys Yacht Design (exterior) and Design Unlimited (interior).
The Arksen team first aims to develop a semi-autonomous, hybrid explorer concept vessel. Arksen 85 will be the first in build with tank testing having already begun. The team is hoping for a Summer 2019 start date with a ten-month build schedule.
The green credentials don’t just stop at the beginning and end of the vessel’s lifecycle, they also extend to operations. All future Arksen boat owners must commit to donating 10% of seagoing time to the Arksen Foundation, a non-for-profit organisation set up to provide project funding, facilitate cutting-edge scientific research and create innovative media to inspire a greater understanding of the fragility of the ocean.
Arksen, which was launched at boot Düsseldorf on 19 January 2019, is the brainchild of UK based tech entrepreneur and investor Jasper Smith who, after a career spanning 30 years in the games and tech industry, has expanded and set his sights on the marine industry.