Ocean Flyer chief executive Shah Aslam and operations director John Hamilton said the cyclone highlighted the need for better transport options, and seagliders are the perfect solution. Photo / Warren Buckland
Ocean Flyer chief executive Shah Aslam and operations director John Hamilton said the cyclone highlighted the need for better transport options, and seagliders are the perfect solution. Photo / Warren Buckland
Forget the blue highway, Shah Aslam and his Napier-based Ocean Flyer team believe fully electric seagliders could soon solve many transport woes faced in Hawke’s Bay and the country.
Plans are well on track to bring the first REGENT seagliders to Aotearoa by 2025,with a MetService agreement and Maritime NZ confirmed as the regulator for the groundbreaking project that was announced last year.
The team hopes to have its first operations up and running across the country by late 2025 or early 2026.
“A couple of years for a project this size is not a long time,” Aslam said.
REGENT’s seagliders will be what are known as “wing-in-ground effect” vehicles - flying no higher than the length of the glider’s wingspan above the water and are designed to travel up to 800km at speeds of up to 540km/h.
Aslam said the cyclone highlighted how important our coastlines were during inland roading infrastructure failure.
He said utilising these waterways in a safe, time-effective and eco-friendly way would be extremely beneficial to communities.
“We talk about the [blue highway] between Gisborne and Napier when the cyclone came; good initiative, but it takes about two or three days to get down here.
“This thing [seaglider] is going at 300km/h, 30 minutes you’re here and then your back up. The ship hasn’t even left Gisborne [in that time].”
REGENT's seaglider starts off as a boat floating in the water, propelled by electric engines. It gains speed and comes up on foils like America's Cup boats, and as it picks up speed and its wings generate lift, it starts to fly.
Transporting people to largely underserviced regional destinations would also be a priority.
From Napier to Gisborne, commuters were looking at a 30-minute seaglider flight for around NZ$50.
Ocean Flyer flights would also help meet crucial community transport needs during times of crisis. Aslam said communities like Māhia and Wairoa were classic examples of who could benefit from the project.
“Nothing was operating [during the cyclone], planes were down and there were no trains or busses. Napier was essentially cut off from the rest of the world.
“We are lucky we have the water infrastructure and ways to utilise it.”
Aslam said Ocean Flyer has been in talks with councils, ports and politicians about the project. One of these was with the Napier Port chief executive, who Aslam said was behind the idea.
“We’ve had conversations with many ports which have been very supportive.
“Ocean Flyer gives ports another element and the local population the chance to interact with the ports as well.”
It would also help the ports reach and strive towards their sustainability targets, Aslam said.
For regular commuters like doctors, the Ocean Flyer trips would help with productivity, cost and getting people where they needed to be faster.
“Right now, we’ve got doctors going from [Napier] to Gisborne regularly with Air NZ to do their clinics and they go the day before which is one day already gone.
“Then they usually do their second day of clinics and can’t get a flight that night so spend a third day travelling back.”
A REGENT seaglider can cut both travel time and carbon emissions. Photo / Warren Buckland
Aslam and operations director John Hamilton recently returned from a trip to the US where they spoke to REGENT as well as others around the world that are looking to get into the seaglider market.
“We’re working with REGENT around how to be the first company outside of the states to launch the seagliders,” Aslam said.
“That won’t only be good for Ocean Flyer, that will be good for New Zealand.”
After much work behind the scenes looking at the technical aspects, Hamilton said that while the vehicles were relatively straightforward to fly, pilots had to have both maritime and aviation expertise.
“They are looking to incorporate quite a bit of automation as well to make it easier,” he said.
Aslam and his team said they were looking forward to the future and hoped New Zealand’s team of five million will get on board as well.
“We’re very confident that by 2025 or 2026 we will have these seagliders operating in New Zealand in one way shape or form.”
