Seabubbles wants to make the cities flow again

What do cities
like London, Paris, Cairo, Rotterdam and Hamburg have in common? They are
situated on the banks of a river. The vast majority of cities in the world are
connected to large bodies of water. This is not because of the nice views. It
is because traditionally water plays a vital role in transportation.

“We have
forgotten to make use of water. Especially when it comes to transporting
people”, says Anders Bringdal. He is the founder and CEO of the company
Seabubbles and a two-time windsurf world champion. Together with his companion
Alain Thebault, a professional sailor that invented new sailing boats, he
developed the Bubble Taxi, a futuristic water taxi. The Bubble Taxi uses hydro
foiling technology to sail and the propulsion of the vessel is electric.

At the
moment the company is testing a prototype and they have high ambitions. According
to Anders the Bubble Taxi will have a big impact on urban life. “In five years
we will operate in several major cities. Our vessels are going to be part of
the transportation systems, and will change people’s daily habits.”

On a sunny
day in May, the Bubble Taxi made her first trip in Dutch waters. The company
was visiting the Netherlands because they were invited by Deal Drecht Cities.
This organisation is the central marketing and promotion agency of the seven
Drecht Cities, the economic development company ROM-D and the Port of
Rotterdam. Looking out of the window at his office in Hendrik-Ido-Ambacht,
director Martin Bloem sees the river De Noord. “We have so many waterways in
the Netherlands, a company like Seabubbles has a lot of opportunities. We try
to help them find their way here.”

The company
Seabubbles was founded in 2016. The first official test were held in Saint
Tropez and Geneva. But Seabubbles wanted to test their vessel in a busy
waterway with considerable bow waves. The tidal river De Noord is a perfect
location to do that. It is a junction for inland vessels. The test rounds in
front of the office of Deal Drecht Cities were successful.

The water
taxi company has developed an online booking solution that works like Uber.
People can order a Bubble Taxi with their phones. The docking stations on the
river banks where passengers can catch a Bubble Taxi, will also function as
charging stations. These docking stations are designed with a solar cover to
generate electricity.

There are three stages in the ‘flight’ of the Bubble Taxi. Under five knots the Bubble has no lift. Between five and six knots, the vessel is in transition mode and above six knots the Bubble flies. The lift reduces the drag with forty per cent. Sailing goes smoothly, because the vessel cuts through the waves. A passenger does not feel the lift and once in the air, the vessel is not shaken by waves. Seasickness is not an issue.

During their
visit local politicians could also travel with the Bubble Taxi. They were
invited because a lot of the cities in the region, like Dordrecht and
Papendrecht are separated by rivers. Using a water taxi reduces the travel time.
Taking turns, the politicians got to experience the water taxi. The government
officials were also invited for another reason. If the tests in the Dutch waters
will result in a pilot project, regulations will be a challenge. So it helps if
public stakeholders believe in the project too.      

The Bubble
Taxi can transport five persons. But Bringdal and Thebault have also developed
larger vessels that can transport more people. There are ideas for a Bubble
Jet, a Bus Wave Piercer and a Bus Foil. All these vessels have electrical
propulsion and use hydro foiling technology. “We want to construct a vessel
that can transport up to 110 persons and we want to do this before 2021.”

Also public
parties in the Netherlands are involved in the project. Deal Drecht Cities has
a large network of maritime companies. Anders Bringdal and his team visited
companies in the region, among which Damen. “We have political and business
connections and there is a demand for their services in this region. We hope
that Seabubbles is going to develop their products here and that the maritime
cluster in the region can benefit from that,” says Martin Bloem.

Minze
Walvius is a Dutch representative for the French company. Walvius works for Advier,
an organisation that specialises in mobility issues. He is involved with
Seabubbles because he believes that the company has a bright future in the
Netherlands. “Passenger transportation will certainly increase on waterways.
The Netherlands, with all the rivers and canals and maritime tradition, will be
a testing ground when it comes to this trend. I believe the vessels of Seabubbles
are going be part of it.”

This
article was previously published in Maritime Holland magazine, issue 4, 2018