MONTE Announces First Seaglider Operator Partnership with Ocean Flyer

MONTE is delighted to announce that it has signed a NZ$145 million (c. US$85 million) deal with Ocean Flyer to finance the acquisition of REGENT’s all-electric seagliders to operate in New Zealand.

Ocean Flyer’s mission is to revolutionise travel in New Zealand by connecting communities across the country in what is believed to be the country’s largest ever private investment in transport. In April 2022, Ocean Flyer agreed with REGENT to bring 25 seagliders to New Zealand. MONTE will finance the first NZ$145 million of those seagliders.

Timothy Eyre, Chief Operating Officer of MONTE said: ‘We are delighted to announce our long-term, strategic partnership with Ocean Flyer, which represents MONTE Maritime’s first operator agreement. Ocean Flyer are pioneers in the sustainable maritime sector with a strong commitment to decarbonisation. We are excited to work with the Ocean Flyer team to bring sustainable seaglider operations to New Zealand and the wider market.’ 

Shah Aslam, Chief Executive Officer of Ocean Flyer said: ‘This has been a culmination of over a year’s worth of work. We met MONTE last year in Rhode Island during the full-scale mock-up launch of the Viceroy at REGENT headquarters. We quickly discovered that our visions for the next generation of transport mobility aligned. MONTE has been a global leader in regional transport finance for over 30 years and it is exciting to be one of the first seaglider operators in the world to partner with them to bring fast, affordable, comfortable and sustainable maritime transport to New Zealand. 

The cost of travelling domestically has been a major issue in New Zealand recently. Ocean Flyer will fundamentally change public transport in a way which will not only be affordable, but also fully sustainable.