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 (Leicester, U.K.) has announced a strategic collaboration with  (Sebastian, Fla., U.S.) to support the upgrade of the Triton 7500/3, said to be the world’s deepest diving, three-person acrylic submersible. The DNV-certified vessel, with a fully transparent acrylic pressure hull, can dive to depths of 2,286 meters for durations exceeding 10 hours, offering explorers, scientists and filmmakers access to the ocean’s bathypelagic zone, a realm that lies between 1,000 and 4,000 meters below the ocean’s surface.

Following an upgrade to enhance the Triton 7500/3 capabilities, Base Materials has supplied six additional DNV-certified buoyancy modules to achieve the necessary uplift to enable the vessel to dive more than 1.4 miles below the ocean’s surface. The modules are manufactured from Base Material’s DNV-approved Subtec 3,000 buoyancy material — a low-density, high-performance syntactic foam material qualified for use at depths down to 3,000 meters. These buoyancy materials are comprised of high-grade hollow glass microspheres and a thermoset polymer matrix (read “Base Materials subsea buoyancy foams earn DNV type approval”).

“We wanted to forge a long-term technical partnership with a materials specialist that understands and is able to deliver against the stringent requirements our submersible applications demand, from both a performance and DNV classification perspective,” explains Sophie Bentham-Wood, executive director of global marketing and sales strategies at Triton Submarines LLC. “Additionally, we wanted a partner with a strong U.K. presence, enabling us to access technical assistance as and when we need it most. Base Materials provided exactly that, and more.”

In addition to providing the Subtec 3000 buoyancy material, Base Materials leveraged its network of trusted partners to ensure the modules were precisely CNC machined to meet the project’s design requirements. Prior to delivery, DNV personnel witnessed the calibrated buoyancy checks and dimensional surveys, and conducted material documentation reviews at Base Materials’ facility in the U.K., to ensure the modules fully complied with the Triton Submarines specifications and met the DNV requirements to maintain the vessel certification.

With densities from 400-650 kilogram per cubic meter (kg/m³) and grades to suit a range of seawater depths from 2,000-11,500 meters, Subtec offers ultra-high strength-to-weight characteristics and improved water ingress resistance. From water absorption to hydrostatic crush pressure, density to uniaxial compressive strength and more, the range is rigorously tested in-house.