BREAKING INDUSTRY NEWS!

Today Arksen – a company building the most authentic and capable explorer vessels of their kind, officially launched at boot Düsseldorf, with a product and ethos driving a new wave of innovation within the industry.

Arksen is the brainchild of tech entrepreneur and investor Jasper Smith, who brings knowledge from a career spanning 30 years in the games and tech industry, including companies such as PlayJam, Fantastic Corp, Vala Capital, Optimistic, PlayStack and PlayWorks. Smith has recognised the opportunity within the marine sector and, with the creation of Arksen, is looking to provide a positive impact through technology, research, exploration and adventure.

Jasper Smith, Founder of Arksen

Smith said: “We set out to create a great company; one that could have a profound impact on the lives of the owners of our vessels and that could actively contribute to a better understanding of the oceans. By building offshore vessels that are designed to withstand the harshest ocean conditions and that incorporate autonomy, hybrid propulsion and ‘always on’ critical systems monitoring, we are at the forefront of a revolution, pioneering technologies that will become the foundation of the future marine industry.”

Arksen comprises three key elements that make up the essence of the brand; the Arksen Series (Arksen 70, Arksen 85 and Arksen 100), the Arksen Foundation and the Arksen Explorers’ Club.

Behind Arksen is an exceptional team from across the marine, aviation and technology sectors, as well as a number of world-class partners including Humphreys Yacht Design, Wight Shipyard Company, Design Unlimited and Waterline Media.

Designed for explorers and made for adventure, Arksen vessels have been designed to meet the requirements for true explorer vessels in the 20 to 30m range, and that can be manned by minimal crew. On almost every level, the Arksen vessels beat the competition. On the strength, range, environmental impact, life-cycle management, usage opportunities and maintenance, the Arksen Series stand out. All interior layouts are easily reconfigured so they can be used for leisure, research and commercial purposes. Through the infusion of the latest technologies and ownership models, Arksen have created a series of platforms that will inspire the next generation of explorers to embark on their dream adventures.

The Arksen 100, the largest of the Arksen Series, can house up to 14 explorers with crew accommodation forward and an expansive full beam master cabin aft. Her large lazarette can accommodate all equipment that the intrepid adventurers need to explore their chosen destination with sufficient onboard storage for up to three months at sea.

Arksen have set out to not only create the world’s best explorer vessels for ocean adventure but also to allow owners to use their vessels to the full, creating curated expeditions around the world through the ‘Explorers’ Club’, and the research and conservation projects that Arksen support through the ‘Arksen Foundation’.

Smith concluded: “Ultimately, Arksen is about delivering the very best machines for ocean adventure that money can buy, supporting them and giving our community of owners, scientists and conservationists the confidence to use our vessels to their full potential. Our collective futures will depend on our ability to understand, protect and save our oceans for future generations, and I know that sailors who are inspired to own an Arksen vessel will embrace our ethics and approach. Owning an Arksen vessel is not a status symbol. It is a statement of intent.”

Summary of the Arksen Series

  • Interiors: The interiors are highly reconfigurable and designed to support leisure, research and commercial use. There is sufficient onboard storage for up to three months at sea
  • Exceptional range: The Arksen 85 offers 6000+ miles of cruising on a single tank of fuel (around 16k litres)
  • Solar capabilities: All Arksen vessels have extensive solar capabilities. The Arksen 85 has 4.2kw of solar capacity
  • Ark Control: Critical systems monitoring. An AI technology that continually tracks critical systems to optimise performance and minimise unscheduled maintenance. Working directly with owners our on-shore engineers create detailed service plans and schedules, ordering parts in advance and acting as a guardian angel for our intrepid explorers
  • Autonomy ready: We are working towards semi and fully autonomous vessels. In the future we expect to be able to work with our owners to have their vessels delivered to a given destination at a given time, allowing Arksen Mission Control to navigate the vessel at optimal speeds for the prevailing conditions
  • Research and sensors onboard: Every Arksen vessel is fitted with a modular and flexible monitoring system to analyse the water quality continuously. These include a flow-through system, often seen on ferries, to automatically feedback data to institutions around the world to live track crucial water parameters
  • Stability: All Arksen vessels are designed to offer sea kindliness, with three forms of stabilisation and a hull designed to offer true stability
  • Hybrid: The diesel / electric propulsion option is one of four options available
  • Recovery from capsize: We hope this will never happen! But it’s good to know that if the worst does happen that all Arksen vessels are designed to recover from capsize
  • Long life service: Our vessels are designed for 50-year service life. Are recyclable at the end of life and are built using sustainable materials
  • Exceptional hull efficiency: In a calm sea at 7 knots the power requirement for the Arksen 85 is just 12kw (the equivalent of 4 kettles)
  • Speed: Fast average cruising speeds of 11 to 14 knots
  • Ice capable: Arksen vessels can be beached and are ice capable, with full Ice Class hull options available.

You can visit them at Boot Düsseldorf (Hall 7a, Stand G09) next week or find them at Arksen.com or via their social channels @arksenproject.

For further details or any media enquiries please contact; media@arksen.com