The ocean is the heart of the planet, lying at the core of earth’s stability. We find ourselves on the cusp of profound change, where the entire marine ecosystem is under threat, without a clear understanding of the potential impacts, largely because of a lack of research.  The biggest single issue facing ocean science and discovery today is not a lack of willing people; it is a lack of funding and infrastructure to support it.  

Arksen aims to solve this most pressing of problems; the availability of sea time on vessels that are suitable and allocated to research. Working with Nekton, Ocean Family Foundation, EYOS and Boat International we are creating the world’s largest privately owned research-capable fleet through the Yachts For Science platform. With the goal to bring together yacht owners and crew with marine scientists, researchers and content creators and provide access to the oceans. This is achieved by utilising the thousands of yachts that are travelling the globe as platforms for research.

In support of these goals we established Arksen Philanthropy, comprising of three core elements designed to create the infrastructure for ocean access and generate funding for marine research, legal and educational projects. The Arksen initiative, 10% for the Ocean, is a simple concept: an open invitation to individuals, families, and organisations around the world to dedicate 10% of their charitable giving to ocean philanthropy. Today, the ocean receives less than 1% of all global charitable giving1, making it the least funded of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Discover more here.

We live for the experiences that our machines enable, and adventure is the lifeblood of our company.  As climbers, sailors, skiers, divers, surfers and kiteboarders getting off the beaten track is in our DNA. It is what life is all about. So to maximise these opportunities for our community, we set up the Arksen Explorers Club which offers both custom and curated expeditions, a collection of adventures that are designed to enable friends and families to explore the worlds wilder lands and oceans. To deliver these initiatives, the Arksen team have created an incredible itinerary of experiences and built an inimitable network of adventure professionals. 

Now is the time to get out there. Now is the time to change the way we travel the world. Now is the time to choose more sustainable and exceptional products that are designed with their full life cycle in mind. Now is the time to take that journey of a lifetime, why wait? 

To open up more opportunities for people to embark on life-enhancing adventures and work with us to help change the world, we set up our shared ownership program. The Arksen Explorers Syndicate is designed to allow like-minded adventurers to club together to share costs. This helps ensure that another key part of our mission is achieved – that Arksen vessels do not sit in marinas for 90% of the time but get used to the full potential by our community.

By harnessing the latest hybrid propulsion technologies, coupled with state of the art control and monitoring systems, our vessels are at the forefront of a revolution within the marine industry and a new approach to offshore passage making. Our focus is on creating the bedrock for a new wave of sustainable marine adventure that has respect for our earth’s ecology at its core and our choice of materials, technologies and processes all start from this simple concept. Our design process has been developed to minimise environmental impact and optimise recyclability at the end of life.

In summary, we are trying a different approach – one that is rooted in sustainability and the joy of experiences rather than ownership alone. As we like to say, ownership of an Arksen is not a status symbol. It is a statement of intent. We hope that our vessels will have a profound positive impact on the lives of their owners.

In the words of Thor Heyerdahl “Borders? I have never seen one. But I have heard they exist in the minds of some people.”