SEA-KIT has launched a new concept in superyacht support vessels, the first uncrewed vessel specifically designed for the sector.
SEA-KIT’s remotely operated superyacht support vessel will significantly change superyacht operations, embracing emerging technologies to provide an enhanced leisure experience for yacht owners, their guests and crews. The 36m SEA-KIT Sigma design is based on the company’s commercially-proven Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV) technology, which played a key role in the winning GEBCO-NF entry to the 2019 Shell Ocean Discovery XPrize and also completed the first uncrewed crossing of the North Sea last year.
SEA-KIT’s uncrewed superyacht support vessel significantly reduces the environmental impact of superyacht operations; with no crew, the vessel can be smaller than a conventional vessel and therefore use much less fuel. In addition, SEA-KIT s design features a hybrid power system that further reduces energy consumption and costs. A smaller vessel also requires less berthing space in ports and marinas, reducing infrastructure requirements and their associated environmental impact. Superyacht tenders and toys can be transported and operated from SEA-KIT’s USV, freeing up space on the yacht so that its design can be optimised for the comfort of guests, and its aesthetic form is not compromised by storing bulky tenders and toys.
Accommodation can be provided for up to four superyacht support staff, though no ships crew are required. The vessel and its operations are controlled remotely using SEA-KIT’s proven G-SAVI system. The control room can be shore-based or located onboard the superyacht and operations can be passed between control rooms. Dynamic positioning can hold the vessel on-station close to the superyacht without the need for anchoring. The USV can be modified to meet customer requirements and its flexible, modular design enables it to be rapidly reconfigured for the changing requirements of superyacht users.
SEA-KIT’s new uncrewed vessel concept will deliver a transformational change in the provision of support for superyachts, providing an environmentally friendly and economic solution that can be reconfigured to accommodate the latest recreational vessels, vehicles and equipment and that reduces dependence on ships crews. With over 24 conventional superyacht support vessels delivered in the last decade, including eight in the last two years, this proven SEA-KIT design is set to revolutionise the support vessel market.
For more information please contact Nick Swift at SEA-KIT International on +44 (0)7584 599047 or email n.swift@sea-kit.com.
