SubSea Craft's Victa diver delivery unit achieves ‘proof-of-concept' c…

The Victa DDU prototype is pictured during proof-of-concept trials, which were conducted at SubSea Craft's T3 facility in Portland, Dorset, in June and July 2023. (SubSea Craft)

The first prototype for SubSea Craft's Victa diver delivery unit (DDU) has achieved proof-of-concept certification after completing a series of advanced sea trials at the company's trials, testing, and training (T3) facility in Portland, Dorset.

The milestone, which was completed in July, has paved the way to start manufacture of the second unit, which will be a production-standard vessel, SubSea Craft's CEO Scott Verney told Janes.

The company has started demonstrating Victa to potential customers while continuing with waterborne trials as it continues to optimise the craft.

“Achieving proof of concept has vindicated our digital-first approach and our flexibility to changing technology as time has gone by, so we're pleased with that,” Verney said. “And while it's a huge milestone, and we're incredibly proud of it, we continue to evolve [and] we continue to enhance and make our capabilities better as our clients move forward and as the world changes.”

The innovative DDU, which is based around a monohull design constructed of carbon fibre and Diab core, combines the features of a long-range insertion craft with those of a swimmer delivery vehicle to provide the capability to travel on the surface at high speed before diving to covertly approach a target.