Success Factors in Commercialization of Wing-in-Ground Crafts as Means of Maritime Transport: A Case Study
Abstract
:1. Introduction
- What factors would enable the successful commercialization of WIG crafts?
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Literature Review
2.2. Company Evaluation Framework
- -
- Historical development
- -
- Technological and certification readiness
- -
- Market position
- -
- Innovation and production
- -
- Operational performance
- -
- Environmental impact
2.3. Case Study Methodology
3. Results
3.1. Systematic Literature Review
3.2. Non-Systematic Literature Review
3.3. Comparison of the Three Identifies Companies
3.4. Case Analysis of Company A
3.4.1. Company Profile
3.4.2. Model Development
3.4.3. Collaboration with Community and Strategic Partnerships
3.4.4. Sustainability Factors
3.4.5. Analysis of the Success Factors
4. Conclusions
- What are the factors that contribute to the commercialization of WIG crafts?
- Expanding its proactive measures to include community engagement and transparency in environmental reporting has provided an advantage by better preparing communities for new technologies and opportunities. This approach fosters cooperation initiatives, allowing local communities to have early involvement and influence on the development of the crafts.
- Increasing investment in R&D enables advances in technology, optimizes energy use and further reduces potential environmental impacts. Prioritizing sustainable options is an advantage and attracts the interest of maritime and aviation communities.
- Involving the industry with presale agreements is unique way to involve the key players of both the maritime and aviation industries on several levels.
- Combining existing technologies is one way to reach the desired sustainability levels. Reducing the need for propulsion and additional fuel saves not only the environment but also reduces operational costs for the operator.
- Part of sustainable actions is also training the crew with the use of navigational simulators before actual trials. Combining simulators into the training methodology and courses seems to be excellent way to effectively prepare the crew for any situation that might happen at sea.
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A
Authors | Title | Year | Journal | Short Summary |
D.E. Calkins | A feasibility study of a trans-ocean hybrid cargo airship operating in ground effect | 1975 | Lighter Than Air Technology Conference | Study uses performance and economic algorithms to compare WIG and airplane designs to find the one with the highest profit margin compared to size. Results of the study show that the hybrid has a higher Pm up to a gross weight of 1500 tons. A 1000-ton hybrid offering 43% higher PM over the conventional airship is selected as a feasible design point for further development. |
D.E. Calkins | Feasibility Study of a Hybrid Airship Operating in Ground Effect | 1977 | JA Aircraft vol 14 number 8 | Updated study of the 1975 article by the same author, arriving at the same conclusions. |
S. Ando | Some Thoughts on Power-Augmented-Ram Wing-In-Ground (PAR-WIG) Effect Vehicle | 1988 | TRANSACTIONS OF THE JAPAN SOCIETY FOR AERONAUTICAL AND SPACE SCIENCES, vol. 31, May 1988, p. 29–47. | Study analysis of PAR (power-augmented ram) WIG as an overwater commuter transport vehicle, proposing new concepts for suitable crafts. |
C. Wright | Operation and cost of high-speed craft | 1990 | Marine Technology and SNAME News, 27(2), pp. 104–113 | Use of different high-speed crafts in various operating environments are analysed, defining the factors that bear upon optimum craft selections for environment and route. |
F.A. Balow III, J.G. Guglielmo, K.R. Sivier | Design and Evaluation of a Midsize Wing-in-Ground Effect Transport | 1993 | Aircraft Design, Systems, and Operations Meeting, 09-11.08.1993 Montery, CA, USA | The PAR-type craft was studied, showing no improvement in transport effectiveness compared to aircraft. A parametric study was used to find the conceptual designs; the midsize design proved to be a viable alternative to conventional modes of transport, though not exceeding their performance. This led to the conclusion that vehicles such as these have use in specialized situations and would augment, not supplant, transportation networks currently in place. |
R. White | Wing in ground effect craft | 1995 | Ship & Boat International Volume 95, Issue 4, Pages 45–47, 1995 | The WIG craft’s advantages for marine passenger transportation are described; various design concepts are outlined. Rules and regulations for their operation and commercial acceptability in the marine environment are discussed. |
J. Ebert, M. Meyer | Development of ground effect vehicles in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern [Entwicklung von Bodeneffektfahrzeugen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern] | 1998 | Schiff und Hafen Volume 50, Issue 9, Pages 52–57, 1998 | The WIGs of Techno Trans e.V. are discussed in terms of their marketing research, transport concept and commercial viability aspects, including the trial vessel success and outlook for further success of WIG crafts. |
G. K. Taylor | Wise or otherwise? The dream or reality of commercial wing in ground effect vehicles | 2000 | GEM 2000 International Conference. | Article discusses the commercialization of WIG crafts as the development of the vessels is on the verge of moving from technology led to market led development. |
R. Laurenzo | A long wait for big WIGs | 2003 | Aerospace America Volume 41, Issue 6, Pages 36–40 June 2003 | The feasibility of the WIG craft is discussed, reaching the conclusion that such crafts will not be commercialized in the near future due to technical reasons. |
Z. Yang, W. Yang | Analysis of two configurations for a commercial WIG craft based on CFD | 2009 | Collection of Technical Papers—AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference2009 27th AIAA Applied Aerodynamics Conference 22 June 2009 through 25 June 200 | The article examines the performance of a regional 50-passenger WIG craft designed for commercial use by using numerical simulations. It exhibits an important phase in the pre-design of the project. |
L. Yun, A. Bliaut, J. Doo | WIG craft and ekranoplan: Ground effect craft technology | 2010 | WIG Craft and Ekranoplan: Ground Effect Craft Technology Pages 1–450 2010 | The book discusses in detail all technical aspects of the WIG craft. |
W. Yang, P.A. Czysz | WIG craft serves niche transportation needs | 2011 | World Review of Intermodal Transportation Research Volume 3, Issue 4, Pages 395–406 | Discusses the use of WIG crafts as military vs commercial vessels. The commercial potential of WIG crafts has seldom been operationally demonstrated. The revision of the conceptual base of WIG craft building and repositioning WIG crafts in the system of transportation is discussed. |
M. Bevilacqua, F.E. Ciarapica, G. Mazzuto & C. Paciarotti | The impact of business growth in the operation activities: a case study of aircraft ground handling operations | 2014 | Production planning & Control. The Management Operations, vol 26 issue 7 | A case study of an Italian airport that aims at increasing air traffic and finds it is necessary to assess the impact of this choice on ground handling operations. The BPR procedure proposed in this work allowed the company to analyse the as-is ground handling processes and to design a to-be scenarios for improving the service efficiency and quality. |
T. Anil, R. Aravindd. S.P. Nikhil, V. Rahul. E. Sudesh Kumar, Z. Zahir Ummer | Design optimization and fabrication of a wing in ground effect craft | 2014 | Bachelor thesis of Mahatma Gandhi University | This project mainly encompasses through the design, analysis and fabrication of WIG craft. A brief feasibility study of the technology considering the Chennai–Port Blair maritime route is conducted. |
E. Bodak | The Design of an Electric Wing-in-Ground-Effect (WIG) Vehicle as Part of an Urban Air Transit System | 2015 | 2015 6TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON POWER ELECTRONICS SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS (PESA) | An electric wing-in-ground-effect (WIG) vehicle was designed to supplement the existing public transportation network in densely populated coastal urban areas like Hong Kong, Incheon, the Persian Gulf and (in particular) the San Francisco Bay Area. Routes and passenger volumes were modelled using circuit analysis, and the design was optimized to maximize the system’s impact on traffic congestion and the resulting financial and environmental benefits. A concept of operations, including a battery-swapping procedure, was described, and aircraft performance was verified using a series of MATLAB simulations. It was determined that the transit system could reduce Bay Area greenhouse gas production by a total of 100 million kg annually and save commuters more than 10M commuting hours total and US$300 per person per year. |
A.V. Nebylov | PROBLEMS OF DESIGN AND IMPROVING EFFICIENCY OF APPLICATION OF LARGE WING-IN-GROUND-EFFECT AMPHIBIOUS CRAFT | 2019 | MARINE INTELLECTUAL TECHNOLOGIES Volume 3 Issue 4 Page 10–19 | The opportunities in Russia for the innovative development of large WIG crafts are reviewed on the basis of the main relevant company—Central Design Bureau for Hydrofoil Ships named after R. Ye. Alekseev’, as well as JSC NPP ‘Radar MMS’ and also concern ‘Morinformsystem-Agat’, which are all closely connected with it. The main scientific and production problems are listed that require urgent solutions to implement the plan for the revival of WIG construction and improve large WIGs, on the basis of promising management automation tools. |
AN. Luchkov | Comparison of Economic and Transport Capabilities of Heavy C-type Airfield-Based WIG [Wing-in-Ground-Effect] Craft Versus Passenger Aircraft | 2020 | 2019 WORKSHOP ON MATERIALS AND ENGINEERING IN AERONAUTICS Volume 7 14 | This article assesses the potential increase in the transport and economic characteristics of heavy cargo and passenger WIG crafts. The article suggests the use of airfield take-off for WIG crafts and defines boundary conditions and a set of formulas to allow for a recalculation of fuel and payload redistribution depending on the operating conditions. The results include changes in gross weight, transport and fuel efficiency, as well as potential changes in aircraft operating costs. |
Otsason, R.; Hilmola, O-P.; Tapaninen U.; Tover, B. | Business opportunities for a ground effect vehicle—case of Canary Islands | 2024 | Transport and telecommunication, 25 (4) p. 473-482 | The need to decarbonize and reduce pollutant emissions from maritime transport facilitates the studies of ground effect vehicles. Technical development in recent decades concerning unmanned flights in drones has supported this development. These vehicles could have much higher speed than sea vessels, and they are estimated to be less costly compared to air transport. Unmanned operations without passengers enable a wider range of transport connections (even in difficult conditions). In this research, we analyse a prototype vehicle called ‘Airship’ and its possible use in different routes of intra-Canary Islands’ transport. We suggest the most lucrative routes and cargo groups. Initial cost and revenue considerations are made over the lifecycle of Airship. As a result, we can point out that there are three main factors that determine the success of transport operations. They are the number of journeys per day, business days operating per year and freight price. |
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No | Criterion/ Sub Criterion | Description and Question | Answers and Score |
---|---|---|---|
Historical Development | |||
1A | Development Timeline | D. Tracks the evolution of the company’s WIG craft technology identifying key periods of advancement Q. In which period did the company start developing WIG technologies? | 1–5 (1 for 1980s, 2 for 1990s, 3 for 2000s, 4 for 2010s, 5 for 2020s) |
1B | Current Development Status | D. Assess whether the company remains actively engaged in developing WIG crafts. Q. Is the company actively developing WIG technologies? | 0–5 (Yes (5), No (0)) |
Technological and Certification Readiness | |||
2A | TRL | D. Evaluates the maturity of the company’s technology based on TRL scale Q. What is the highest TRL of the company’s WIG vehicles? | TRL 1–2 as 1; 3–4 as 2; 5–6 as 3; 7–8 as 4; 9 as 5 |
2B | Innovation and Future Technologies | D. Measures the company’s efforts in adopting advanced technologies. Q. How would you rate the company’s integration of advanced technologies (e.g., AI, net zero propulsion)? | 1–5 (one point for each new technology used—propulsion, AI, energy source, hydrofoil, etc.) |
2C | CRL | D. Measures the company’s progress in meeting certification standards for WIG crafts Q. What is the certification readiness level (CRL) of the company’s most developed WIG vehicle? | CRL 1–2 as 1; 3–4 as 2; 5–6 as 3; 7–8 as 4; 9 as 5 |
Market Position | |||
3A | Cooperation | D. Analyses partnerships, collaborations for WIG craft commercialization Q. What types of partnerships has the company established? | 1 point per type, up to 5 points (strategic alliances, joint ventures, R&D collaborations, supply chain partnerships, marketing and distribution agreements) |
3B | Global Market Penetration | D. Examines the company’s presence in international markets. Q. How extensive is the company’s presence in international markets? | 1–5 (1—present in base country, 2—present in more than 3 countries, 3—present in more than 6 countries, 4—present in more than 10 countries, 5—present in more than 15 countries) |
3C | Funding | D. Evaluates sources and amounts of funding, investments. Q. What are the main sources of funding for the company? | 1 point per source, up to 5 points (private investment, government grants, corporate partnerships, crowdfunding etc.) |
Innovation and Production | |||
4A | Product portfolio | D. Measures the diversity of the company’s product portfolio to evaluate its adaptability and market coverage Q. How diverse is the company’s product portfolio? | 1–5 (1: very limited (1–2 products), 2: limited (3–4 products), 3: moderate (5–6 products), 4: diverse (7–8 products), 5: very diverse (9+ products)) |
4B | Product Development Pipeline | D. Examines the progression and timelines of new models Q. How many products are in different development stage? | Product in each of the following categories gives 1 point: design phase, prototype ready, in testing, in certification, in production phase? |
4C | Product Innovation | D. Rates the company’s success in research and development Q. How many patents does the company have registered? | 1–5, one point per valid patent, max 5 |
4D | R&D Investment | D. Measures the company’s annual investment in R&D Q. How much is the company investing in R&D annually? | 0–5 (0—R & D investment not published; 1—up to 10 mln; 2—up to 20 mln; 3—up to 30 mln; 4—up to 40 mln; 5—more than 40 mln (all in EUR) |
4E | Manufacturing Capabilities | D. Assesses the company’s WIG craft production capacity Q. How would you rate the company’s production capacity? | 0—no premises; 1—land acquired; 2—premises built; 3—production lines built; 4—preproduction testing; 5—production in action |
4F | Operational Scalability | D. Analyses the company’s ability to scale operations as demand increases Q. How scalable are the company’s operations? | 0—unknown; 1—only through renting/additional purchase; 3—additional land available; 5—additional space for use as premises |
Operational Performance | |||
5A | Operational Efficiency | D. Evaluates the efficiency of company’s operations Q. How efficient are the company’s operations compared to its competitors? | 1–5 (1: very inefficient, 2: inefficient, 3: neutral, 4: efficient, 5: very efficient) Calculated by TRL level achieved divided by years active |
5B | Financial Stability | D. Assesses the company’s ability to balance obligations and available resources Q. How stable is the company’s financial situation in terms of meeting its obligations? | 1–5 (1: very unstable, 2: unstable, 3: neutral, 4: stable, 5: very stable) |
5C | Personnel Strategy | D. Assesses personnel strategy, the number of personnel in the company and their movements Q. Does company have enough personnel resources to achieve the commercialization of their products? | 1–5 (1: the number of employees has diminished drastically, key persons all changed in past 3 years 2: key persons have remained the same, there is slight decrease in personnel numbers, 3: no changes in the personnel in recent years, 4: active hiring, small movements in personnel, 5: active hiring, the personnel numbers are growing, key personnel has not changed) Achievability is valued through the stage of achievability reached |
5D | Safety | D. Evaluates safety records of the company’s WIG crafts Q. How many accidents have been recorded with company’s WIG crafts during tests, trials and actual usage? | 1–5 (1: up to 1000, 2: up to 500, 3: up to 100, 4: up to 10, 5: 0 accidents) |
Environmental Impact | |||
6A | Sustainability Practices | D. Measures company’s effort to minimize environmental impact Q. Has the company implemented environmental sustainability strategy? | 1: no, 5: yes |
6B | Community and Social Impact | D. Evaluates the company’s involvement in community initiatives and social responsibility programs. Q. How many community initiatives is the company involved in? | 1–5 (one point for each community, up to 5) |
Database Search Word | Web of Science | ProQuest Dissertation and Thesis Database | Scopus |
---|---|---|---|
Ground effect craft | 262 | 13 | 0 |
and commercial | 7 | 10 | 0 |
and business | 3 | 4 | 0 |
Wing-in-ground craft | 87 | 5 | 185 |
and business | 0 | 1 | 1 |
and commercial | 5 | 5 | 17 |
Wing-in-ground | 253 | 39 | 520 |
and commercial | 9 | 31 | 31 |
and business | 1 | 18 | 5 |
Company A | Company B | Company C | |
---|---|---|---|
Name of the company | REGENT Craft Inc. | Maritime Mobility Company Aron | AirX (previously Widgetworks) |
Country of residence | USA | Republic of Korea | Singapore |
Company | 1A | 1B | 2A | 2B | 2C | 3A | 3B | 3C | 4A | 4B | 4C | 4D | 4E | 4F | 5A | 5B | 5C | 5D | 6A | 6B | Σ |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
A | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 77 |
B | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 52 |
C | 3 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 42 |
Title 1 | Viceroy [34] | Monarch [46] |
---|---|---|
Nr of passengers | 12 | 50–100 |
Length | 17.53 m | |
Wingspan | 19.81 m | |
Cabin length | 7.92 m | |
Cabin height | 1.83 m | |
Cabin width | 1.68 m | |
Cargo door measures | 1.45 × 1.65 m | |
Cabin volume | 21.12 m3 | |
Luggage space volume | 2.49 m3 | |
Maximum water weight | 6532 kg | |
Maximum take-off weight | 7001 kg | |
Useful load, passengers | 1361 kg | 10 t |
Useful load, cargo only | 1587 kg | 10 t |
Engine | 120 kW | |
Speed | Up to 291 km/h | Up to 225 km/h |
Range | 290 km | 650 km |
Noise level at take-off | 59 dBA | |
Energy source | Electrical | Electrical |
Proactiveness Category | Description | Examples in Company A |
---|---|---|
Prediction | Anticipating future trends and needs in the industry to stay ahead of market demands. | Anticipated the demand for sustainable transport solutions; early strategic partnerships with airlines and maritime companies [29,30,31,34]. |
Prevention | Implementing measures to avoid future risks and problems before they occur. | Partnerships with technology developers to enhance design and production efficiency and mitigate operational risks [44,49]. |
Planning | Strategic foresight in business decisions, focusing on long-term impacts and benefits. | Involvement with several stakeholders to shape the future of maritime transportation. |
Participation | Active involvement and engagement with various stakeholders to foster collaborative innovations and solutions. | Collaboration with strategic investors and government entities to align with broader sustainability and regulatory frameworks [26,64,67]. |
Performance | Monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of strategies and initiatives to ensure alignment with goals. | Rapid growth in order book demonstrating effective market alignment; continuous innovation in seaglider technology reflecting performance success [40]. |
Due Diligence Aspect | Description | Implementation at Company A |
---|---|---|
Compliance with Regulations | Ensuring all operations adhere to environmental and safety standards. | Alignment with global environmental standards and proactive engagement with regulatory bodies like the US Coast Guard as well as classification society as Lloyd’s Register [26]. |
Risk Management | Identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks to ensure operational continuity and safety. | Strategic partnerships and investment in technology to diversify and mitigate technological risks [29,30,33,35,44,53,62]. |
Operational Integrity | Maintaining high standards of operation that meet safety, efficiency and environmental guidelines. | Pilot projects and testing with partners such as Brittany Ferries to ensure operational practices meet the highest standards [30]. |
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© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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Kerem, K.; Carjova, K.n.; Tapaninen, U.P. Success Factors in Commercialization of Wing-in-Ground Crafts as Means of Maritime Transport: A Case Study. Future Transp. 2025, 5, 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/futuretransp5010013
Kerem K, Carjova Kn, Tapaninen UP. Success Factors in Commercialization of Wing-in-Ground Crafts as Means of Maritime Transport: A Case Study. Future Transportation. 2025; 5(1):13. https://doi.org/10.3390/futuretransp5010013
Chicago/Turabian StyleKerem, Kristin, Krist ne Carjova, and Ulla Pirita Tapaninen. 2025. "Success Factors in Commercialization of Wing-in-Ground Crafts as Means of Maritime Transport: A Case Study" Future Transportation 5, no. 1: 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/futuretransp5010013
APA StyleKerem, K., Carjova, K. n., & Tapaninen, U. P. (2025). Success Factors in Commercialization of Wing-in-Ground Crafts as Means of Maritime Transport: A Case Study. Future Transportation, 5(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.3390/futuretransp5010013