US Coast Guard Certifies Regent Flying Boats
By Marek Grzybowski
Regent designers have presented the US Coast Guard with a design for an electric seaglider. The ship will only be subject to certification. It is possible that US Coast Guard crews will board seagliders. Increasingly clever people and drug smugglers are a nuisance to the US Border Guard. They often use fast boats and even partially submerged or underwater vessels for smuggling.
Similar units could be used to deliver people and cargo, as well as protect and service the offshore wind farms in UE, including North Sea and Baltic Sea Region. Such seagliders are great for communicating with ships on the roadstead and protecting the coast, and above all large and small seaports. Maybe one of the manufacturers of large yachts will be interested in the idea and enter the North Sea and Baltic offshore market?
Regent, a company from Rhode Island, has proposed using flying seaglider for commercial operations in the United States. Regent was founded in 2020 by Billy Thalheimer and Mike Klinker. The founders focused on designing electric seaplanes. Their creation is an electric flying boat. In March, the owners submitted a Design Basis Agreement (DBA) for the 12-passenger Viceroy to the US Coast Guard.
Regent is headquartered in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, with an office in Washington, D.C. The founders have raised more than $90 million from investors including 8090 Industries, Founders Fund, Japan Airlines, Lockheed Martin, Thiel Capital, Mark Cuban, and Y Combinator.
Global portfolio of 600 electric seagliders
The owners report that “Regent has a global order book of over 600 vessels valued at over $9 billion.” Among the customers are customers from the aviation, ferry and package carrier industries. There are also companies involved in aircraft leasing. Customers come from virtually every continent.
Billy Thalheimer and Mike Klinker predict that “the 12-passenger seaglider Viceroy will enter service in the middle of the decade.” They plan to introduce their aircraft in 2026-2027. The 50-100-passenger seaglider Monarch is also in the pipeline. Regent’s owners say it will enter service by the end of the decade. The vessels manufactured by Regent are certified as seagoing vessels.
The ship is a unique design because it takes off from the water on underwater wings, like a hydrofoil. Then it floats above the water at a given height. Safety is the most important thing here, because it is a passenger ship that moves at high speed and in limited conditions for maneuvering.
The DBA (Design Basis Agreement) sets the framework for the Viceroy project. It must be demonstrated that the flying boat provides an equivalent level of safety and is equivalent to other certified ships of similar size. The DBA must include a possible framework description of the concept, significant elements of the regulatory analysis and risk analysis.
The application was submitted after several months of establishing the requirements of the border services and in close cooperation between the Regent and the US Coast Guard. The authors of the project announce that there was “refinement of the content of the DBA and assurance that the Viceroy design meets or exceeds the required safety standards”. Approval of the DBA by the US Coast Guard is expected in the middle of the year.
Safety is the most important
“Safety is at the forefront of everything we do at Regent,” said Ted Lester, Vice President of Certification at Regent, explaining that “The formal DBA submission is the result of a rigorous design process in compliance with industry regulations and standards, as well as our commitment to attention to detail to ensure compliance and the safety of passengers, crew and vessels.”
The vessels designed by Regent’s designers are Type A Wing-In Ground Effect (WIG) vessels. They are designed to operate within the surface effect, a phenomenon that occurs within one wing span of the water surface and provides significant aerodynamic efficiency.
This means that Viceroy is regulated by maritime standards. Design and operation meet requirements set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), as well as U.S. regulations.
In the USA, the US Coast Guard oversees the process of certifying seaplanes as small seagoing passenger ships. In order to introduce the design to markets other than the US, Regent cooperates with the Lloyd’s Register classification society. The US classifier, which also operates in Poland, helps to certify ships in the jurisdictions of maritime administrations of other countries.
After the DBA is accepted, Regent will move on to the design stage, where it will be possible to develop final designs. The next stage will be the approval of the final designs by the US Coast Guard and inspection of the ship during construction. The aim is to ensure that the ships being built are in accordance with the approved design.
It is assumed that cooperation will continue with local operators to train crews. It will also be necessary to take into account local requirements for the use of ships. The process of introducing the unit into service will end with the issuance of an inspection certificate, which will allow the seaplane to operate in sea conditions.
“Regent’s progress through the rigorous U.S. maritime certification process gives me confidence that the vessel certification is on track and will provide the highest level of safety,” said Ed Wegel, founder and president of UrbanLink Air Mobility, a pioneering advanced air mobility company.
Monarch for Egypt
UrbanLink Air Mobility has placed an order for Regent products, which are scheduled to be in service in waters off South Florida and Puerto Rico. The operator explains that “This DBA process also has the added benefit of a rapid certification process, which allows us to begin seaglider operations on an accelerated timeline.” Regent recently announced that it will deliver its first commercial Monarch seaplane, which can carry 50 to 100 passengers, to United Marine Egypt (UME) Shipping.
The planned delivery is for the vessel to enter service by 2030. The design assumptions are that the Regent Monarch will cover a distance of up to 650 km at a speed of 225 km/h with 50-100 passengers on board or a cargo of 10,000 kg.
The smaller, 12-passenger Viceroy will cover up to 300 km at a speed of 300 km/h with 12 passengers or a cargo of 1,600 kg. The contract for the larger ships is based on an existing order from UME for 12-passenger Viceroy ships. The seaplanes will complement UME’s passenger shipping network. They will be directed to the Red Sea, the contractor says.
Regent is promoting seaplane certification in markets around the world in cooperation with the Lloyd’s Register (LR) classification society. Captain Mohamed Badawy, Chairman of UME, and Adam Triolo, Vice President of Commercial Business Development at Regent, sign the contract for the Regent vessels at Interferry 2024 in Marrakesh, Morocco, October 29, 2024.
Captain Mohamed Badawy (left), Chairman of UME, and Adam Triolo, Vice President of Commercial Business Development at Regent, sign the contract for the delivery of the Regent vessels at Interferry 2024 in Marrakesh, Morocco, October 29, 2024.
– LR is eager to work with Regent to develop international certification standards for the Monarch seaplane and other innovative zero-emission seaplane designs, said Joep Bollerman, Vice President, Passenger Ships and Passenger Ship Support Center at Lloyd’s Register, after the contract was announced.
– Regent’s partnership with UME demonstrates the growing demand for sustainable, high-speed transport solutions, said Adam Triolo, Vice President, Commercial Business Development at Regent, noting: “We look forward to working together to bring these vessels to the shores of the Red Sea and beyond.”
Captain Mohamed Badawy, President of UME, said after the contract was signed. “This partnership reflects our shared commitment to innovation in the shipping industry that has the potential to increase sustainability and efficiency.”
The Americans are showing that the seaplane has a future. The development of renewable energy and technology means that the seas are wide open for this type of vessel. High-speed passenger and cargo vessels have a future. Especially now, when it is necessary to think seriously about protecting critical offshore installations and ports.