Go further on a ground-breaking exploration yacht
Eric Hansen, the Owner of Hansen Marine exploration and owner of groundbreaking exploration yacht concept ARCANA, had a very specific vision in mind for the design of his yacht.
“I was always interested in developing a boat that combined travel and exploration,” he says. “For me, it is a pity that these beautiful yachts just do a few rounds up and down the shore and don’t really travel: I wanted to develop an elegant yacht for exploration and travel with long range. Today, most of the world has been explored, apart from some remote places not touched by civilisation. I thought: if we are going to have a boat, let’s really do something new. Something different to go elsewhere. That was the starting point.”
At the Singapore Yacht Show in 2014, Eric met with the designer Horacio Bozzo, who could immediately see how his vision, for an explorer yacht that is “discreet but elegant, not too shiny, calling on classic yacht design”, could be brought to life. The result is ARCANA: an elegant 38m motor yacht combining innovative technology with extraordinary exploration capabilities.
An ultra-modern diesel-electric propulsion with azimuth thrusters offers more stability and manoeuvrability than conventional propulsion, enables the yacht to stay on station in a very specific location for hours, and reduces noise and vibration for improved guest comfort onboard. Advanced dynamic positioning allows the yacht to access very sensitive places without the risk of dropping anchors on corals or disturbing sensitive seabeds.
Designed to leave the minimum ecological footprint, ARCANA has been technologically developed to offer the highest fuel efficiency and adhere to the most stringent regulations for CO² emissions. She exceeds all current environment protection requirements, including IMO Nox Tier 3 emissions, and features a non-toxic hull antifouling coating with non-biocide-release in order not to harm the marine life. While this is new technology rarely seen in the yachting industry, it is highly proven in the Offshore industry, which is Eric’s background and makes him confident its benefits will be embraced in yachting too.
ARCANA also allows for one of the most innovative features seen onboard any yacht, a patented submarine launch system, designed for a 3-man U-Boat Worx submarine. “When you go exploring, you can scuba dive to maybe 30m, a bit more if you’re qualified, but there are a lot of very interesting subsea or underwater things you cannot see if you don’t have a small submarine,” explains Eric. The purpose-built system, combined with dynamic positioning, allows a very controlled launch and recovery that feels much safer than traditional launches by crane. Passengers can board directly from the yacht, launch gently in to the water and come back the same way.
With its submarine, shallow draft and advanced exploration technology, ARCANA is ideal for discovering the remote islands of Asia. “You can go to a very small cove or a small remote fishing port at the far end of Indonesia or the Philippines, and just turn around very easily with azimuth thrusters. Myanmar is opening to yachting, and it is a pristine world for diving with few yachts available there. Palau has shark sanctuaries ideal to explore on a submarine. Asia is a wonderful playground for yachting and exploration,” says Eric. There is no better way to discover this destination than onboard ARCANA.