{"id":28319,"date":"2026-04-02T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/noticias.ae\/?p=28319"},"modified":"2026-04-05T08:36:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T06:36:15","slug":"abu-dhabi-seaglider-coastal-transport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/noticias.ae\/en\/2026\/04\/02\/abu-dhabi-seaglider-coastal-transport\/","title":{"rendered":"Transport Revolution: Seagliders to Connect the Abu Dhabi Coast"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Can a desert emirate become a global pioneer in the maritime transport of the future? <strong>Abu Dhabi<\/strong> is not just promising it: it is building it with real contracts, public investment, and technology that until recently only existed in renders. The announcement is significant: ADNOC Logistics &amp; Services, the logistics arm of <strong>Abu Dhabi&#8217;s<\/strong> state oil company, has sealed an alliance with the US manufacturer REGENT to introduce <strong>electric seagliders<\/strong> into its operations. Additionally, the emirate&#8217;s Department of Municipalities and Transport is already working to integrate this technology into the public transport network.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Abu Dhabi Bets on the Seaglider as the Transport of the Future<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>seaglider<\/strong> is neither a boat nor a plane: it is an electric vessel that sails a few meters above the water&#8217;s surface by taking advantage of the ground effect, allowing it to reach speeds of up to <strong>290 km\/h<\/strong> with zero emissions. In <strong>Abu Dhabi<\/strong>, this technology is not an academic experiment; it is a strategic bet backed by the emirate&#8217;s largest energy producer.<\/p>\n<p>In April 2024, REGENT signed two key agreements in <strong>Abu Dhabi<\/strong>: one with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) to develop local manufacturing capabilities, and another with the Department of Transport to study the integration of the <strong>seaglider<\/strong> into the emirate&#8217;s public network. Two years later, those agreements already have a schedule and funding.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Exactly Is the Seaglider Arriving in Abu Dhabi<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-9-16 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"\"><iframe title=\"Seaglider: El taxi a\u00e9reo marino que cambiar\u00e1 tu forma de viajar\" width=\"563\" height=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2NvPXGzPGpc?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The model chosen for <strong>Abu Dhabi<\/strong> is the <em>Viceroy<\/em>, REGENT&#8217;s first operational design. It has a capacity for <strong>12 passengers<\/strong> or 1,600 kg of payload, operates on a fully electric battery, and offers travel times equivalent to a helicopter but with <strong>an operating cost up to 80% lower<\/strong>. Compared to traditional transfer vessels, it is more than 70% faster.<\/p>\n<p>The technology on which the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hydrofoil\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">seaglider<\/a> is based\u2014known as &#8220;wing in ground effect&#8221; or aerodynamic ground effect\u2014allows the craft to fly just a few meters above the water without technically detaching from the sea surface, classifying it as a naval vessel rather than an aircraft. This greatly simplifies its regulation and integration into the ports of <a href=\"https:\/\/noticias.ae\/en\/2026\/04\/01\/abu-dhabi-investopia-non-oil-sectors\/\">Abu Dhabi<\/a>, which already has compatible port infrastructure.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Planned Routes and Operations in the Emirate<\/h2>\n<p>The first confirmed use of the <strong>seaglider<\/strong> in <strong>Abu Dhabi<\/strong> will be the transfer of ADNOC workers to offshore platforms in the Persian Gulf. Currently, this journey is made by helicopter or conventional boat; with the <strong>seaglider<\/strong>, travel time is drastically reduced, and the carbon footprint of each trip is eliminated, which is key to <strong>Abu Dhabi&#8217;s<\/strong> sustainability goals for 2030.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond industrial use, the <strong>Abu Dhabi<\/strong> Department of Transport is working on coastal passenger routes that would connect strategic points of the emirate by sea at speeds never before seen in commercial naval transport. The <strong>seaglider<\/strong> would use the same existing docks without the need for new infrastructure, which greatly reduces implementation costs and accelerates timelines.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Abu Dhabi Leads This Technology Worldwide<\/h2>\n<p>It is no coincidence that <strong>Abu Dhabi<\/strong> and not another city in the world is leading the global deployment of the <strong>seaglider<\/strong>. The emirate combines three unique factors: a coastal geography with dozens of islands and offshore infrastructure, an institutional appetite for transport innovation, and a financing capacity backed by the planet&#8217;s largest sovereign wealth fund, with assets exceeding <strong>$875 billion<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\">\n<table class=\"has-fixed-layout\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Feature<\/th>\n<th>Seaglider Viceroy<\/th>\n<th>Conventional Helicopter<\/th>\n<th>Transfer Vessel<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Top Speed<\/td>\n<td>290 km\/h<\/td>\n<td>280 km\/h<\/td>\n<td>~40 km\/h<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Emissions<\/td>\n<td>Zero (Electric)<\/td>\n<td>High (Fossil Fuel)<\/td>\n<td>Medium-High<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Operating Cost<\/td>\n<td>Up to 80% lower<\/td>\n<td>Base Reference<\/td>\n<td>Lower than helicopter<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Capacity<\/td>\n<td>12 passengers \/ 1,600 kg<\/td>\n<td>6-12 passengers<\/td>\n<td>20-50 passengers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Required Infrastructure<\/td>\n<td>Existing docks<\/td>\n<td>Specific helipads<\/td>\n<td>Existing docks<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Seaglider Horizon in Abu Dhabi: 2027 and Beyond<\/h2>\n<p>The first operational <strong>seagliders<\/strong> in <strong>Abu Dhabi<\/strong> are planned for <strong>2027<\/strong>, with a full coastal route expansion by 2028. By then, the emirate expects to have established the regulatory framework that will serve as a model for other Gulf countries and the world. The bet is not marginal: it is part of the economic diversification strategy that already places non-oil sectors at more than <strong>54% of Abu Dhabi&#8217;s GDP<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>For travelers and professionals with connections to the Persian Gulf, the advice is clear: <strong>Abu Dhabi<\/strong> is not improvising this technological leap. Every agreement signed, every institutional collaboration, and every euro of investment suggests that the <strong>seaglider<\/strong> is not a promise but the next chapter of global transport, and this emirate will be the first to write it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Can a desert emirate become a global pioneer in the maritime transport of the future? Abu Dhabi is not just promising it: it is building it with real contracts, public investment, and technology that until recently only existed in renders. The announcement is significant: ADNOC Logistics &amp; Services, the logistics arm of Abu Dhabi&#8217;s state [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,50],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-28319","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-abu-dhabi","8":"category-portada-2-4-noticias-en"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/noticias.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/noticias.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/noticias.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noticias.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noticias.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/noticias.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28319\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noticias.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/noticias.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noticias.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/noticias.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}