U-Boat Worx is market leader in mini

The ocean floor is the limit

U-BOAT WORX IS MARKET LEADER IN MINI-SUBMARINES

DUTCH MANUFACTURER U-BOAT WORX HANDCRAFTS EXCLUSIVE MINI-SUBMARINES FOR THE SUPERYACHT AND EXPEDITION CRUISE INDUSTRY, AS WELL AS FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES.

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF U-BOAT WORX.

What started as one man’s dream has grown into a company that is leading the field in underwater exploration. Following his success as co-founder of Exact Software, a company specialising in financial administration software, Bert Houtman decided to pursue his dream of building one-man submarines. In just fifteen years’ time, his company U-Boat Worx has become the world’s leading manufacturer of minisubmersibles. Ranging from one to eleven-man vessels, the subs are built for depths from 100 to 3,000 meters and are characterised by their small size, low weight and innovative technology. They are increasingly popular with superyacht owners, as well as with expedition cruise companies, offshore companies and research institutions. “It has taken a lot of vision and hard work to get to where we are today. You do not become a company employing 80 people just like that”, comments >>

Ranging from one to eleven-man vessels, the subs are built for depths from 100 to 3,000 meters and are characterised by their small size, low weight and innovative technology.

U-boat Worx Marketing Manager Roy Heijdra. “We keep a close eye on the market, and we are years ahead of other companies in terms of technology. We currently have more than 40 mini-subs in the orderbook.”

Standard for expedition cruises The company employs 80 people and has recently moved into its new headquarters in Breda. “It is five times bigger than our previous location and, with design, engineering and production under one roof, our teams can work even closer together to share ideas and brainstorm on how to further improve quality”, details Mr Heijdra. He adds that, so far, the corona virus outbreak has had little impact on the company. “We have flown back all our overseas personnel, but our production is ongoing. We have deadlines to meet, but of course we are working as safely as possible and are operating according to the guidelines outlined by the authorities.” There are currently numerous subs under construction, mostly for the expedition cruise market. The most popular model is the Cruise Sub 7 – 300, a seven-person sub with room for a pilot and six passengers. It can travel up to a depth of 300m. “We have become the de facto standard for the expedition cruise market and have built or are building submarines for companies such as Viking Ocean Cruises, the Scenic Eclipse, Seabourn Venture, and Crystal Cruises.”

Innovative engineering team With an engineering pool of 35 submarine specialists, U-boat Worx has produced numerous innovations to make the minisubs safer, lighter, and easier to pilot. “We have developed our own operating system to make it more reliable”, states Mr Heijdra. “Our philosophy is to keep it as simple as

About 95% of our oceans is still unchartered territory.

The most popular model is the Cruise Sub 7 – 300, a seven-person sub with room for six passengers divided over two spheres. The pilot has his own mini-sphere. U-boat Worx Marketing Manager Roy Heijdra.

possible in order to make it as safe as possible. The simpler it is, the less that can go wrong, because we want to ensure our customers are as safe as possible. The way to do that is to make sure the subs are easy to operate.” In addition to the operating system, U-Boat Worx has also developed its own Manta controller and flexible ballast tank technology to enhance performance and reduce storage space requirements. Another innovation is its remote-control system for the easy and safe docking and launching of the mini-sub. Safety is of paramount importance. Every U-Boat Worx submersible is designed, engineered and built to the highest possible standards and registered with classification society DNV GL. Every submarine is subjected to extensive testing including hydro-static pressure tests and material qualifications prior to in-house bench testing, harbour trials, and full sea trials before final delivery.

Magical experience The design of mini-submarines has come a long way. U-Boat Worx’ submersibles stand out because of the enormous acrylic spheres offering unparalleled views. Furthermore, the company was the first to let go of the idea that all passengers on board had to share the same sphere. Instead, it came up with the concept of a cruise sub with two spheres, each with room for three to five passengers. The pilot has his own mini-sphere in between the two passenger pods. “Thanks to the double-ended viewport design, it does not matter where the passengers sit. They all have ringside seats with undisturbed and undistorted view in all directions”, enthuses Mr Heijdra. “In other tourist submarines, passengers have little space or small windows. Here, you are seated in revolving leather chairs inside huge spheres made from 40cm thick acrylic. Once you are underwater, the acrylic seems to disappear, and it feels as if there is nothing between you and the underwater world.” Adding to the experience is the fact that the cruise subs are highly manoeuvrable. Apart from the basic forward, reverse, up and down movements, U-Boat Worx submersibles can also move laterally. “This lateral movement optimises object approach, view, and dive efficiency”, explains Mr Heijdra.

More affordable subs In the past fifteen years, U-Boat Worx has been exploring the possibilities and pushing the limits of deep-sea diving. However, going forward, the company has set itself a range of different goals. “We want to start up serial production and are looking at developing a more affordable range of submarines”, details Mr Heijdra. “We are currently working on a new two-man submarine that can dive up to 100m and weighs 2,500kg. “It is just 1.5m high and fits on virtually any yacht over 30m. It can even be towed on a trailer behind a car.” Another aim is to expand its charter fleet and make their mini-subs accessible to a wider audience, such as television companies or research institutions whose budget may not stretch to owning a minisub. “There is still a lot of research to be done below the sea surface. About 95% of our oceans is still unchartered territory”, states Mr Heijdra. To meet the growing demand of manned submersibles, there is a great need for technically trained personnel. As an incentive, the company is offering new allround mechanics a free submersible pilot course at its new training facility in Curaçao after they have been in service for six months. After the training course of about two weeks, the mechanics can get back to work in the factory in Breda, but they can also choose to be sent as a submarine pilot to one of U-Boat Worx’ customers. “This is such an unusual but beautiful business to work in”, concludes Mr Heijdra. “There is a lot of job satisfaction, because we are giving people a glimpse of a world that is virtually unexplored. A customer in Italy recently discovered amphora of a Roman ship that went down centuries ago. Another sub was diving in Antarctica and discovered a type of orca whale no one had ever seen before. Who knows what else is out there...”