Davit News

Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD) has unveiled AutoHook, an autonomous vessel recovery interface developed by its Norway-based business Vestdavit, designed to recover uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) and other craft without manual connections.Introduced at EURONAVAL 2026 in Paris on November 2, the system is designed to automate the active recovery phase of launch and recovery operations, with FMD reporting that it has achieved operational acceptance at Sea State 4.AutoHook uses onboard vision technology and integrated thrusters to track and secure moving vessels during recovery…

Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management, announced a USD$8.08 million (6.98 million euro) investment in the expansion of the Vestdavit production facility in Redzikowo, Poland in partnership with the Pomeranian Regional Development Agency (PARR). The site will serve as FMD's global Davit Manufacturing Centre of Excellence (DMCoE), providing localized support to NATO and European naval forces, while producing the systems needed to deploy and recover autonomous and crewed vessels.

PALFINGER has secured a contract to supply davit cranes for five offshore converter platforms in the North Sea, expanding its presence in the offshore wind market as Europe accelerates grid infrastructure development tied to renewable energy projects.The Austrian company said it would deliver seven PF200-7m davit cranes to Spanish engineering contractor Dragados Offshore for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) converter platforms linked to projects for German transmission system operators Amprion and TenneT Germany.Under the agreement…

Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD) has introduced AutoHook, a first-of-its-kind fully autonomous vessel recovery interface developed by FMD’s Norway-based business, Vestdavit. AutoHook is designed for fully autonomous launch and recovery systems (LARS) supporting unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and other assets requiring zero human intervention. The compact, lightweight form factor is designed for interoperability across allied fleets in demanding maritime conditions, removing the…

RS Aqua announced a new strategic partnership with Seasats, a San Diego-based unmanned surface vehicle (USV) developer, to introduce their range of security platforms to the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland defense market.Seasats is known for its high endurance, modular, and user-friendly USVs designed to deliver maritime domain awareness through autonomous operations. Through this partnership, RS Aqua will represent and support the Seasats product portfolio across the UK and Ireland.Seasats’ inaugural model, the Lightfish, is a modular USV engineered for long duration autonomous missions.

Daughter Craft No. 3, commissioned by Purus, is progressing through final outfitting ahead of sea trials. Engines are now installed with Volvo Penta IPS drives, and the vessel’s electronics and interior systems are well underway in outfit.Diverse Marine has worked with Chartwell Marine to produce this daughter craft design, with inboard propulsion systems fitted with IMO Tier 3 exhaust after-treatment to reduce emissions.The Daughter Craft can serve as a nearshore CTV as well…

Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management (Arcline), announced that Welin Lambie has been awarded an Indefinite Delivery Contract (IDC) to provide aftermarket support for Welin Lambie davits installed across the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) fleet. This contract ensures access to OEM-quality parts and support services to ensure fleet readiness and the long-term reliability of critical launch-and-recovery systems. The framework contract was signed in July 2025 and includes a base year with four one-year options, extending potential support through 2030.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch has published a report into the uncontrolled launch of a fast rescue craft during a training exercise.At 1645 on August 23, 2025, the crew of the passenger/car ferry Lord of the Isles were carrying out an exercise involving the launch of the vessel’s fast rescue craft (FRC) using stored power. The FRC fell 9m to the water on launching. There were no injuries, but the FRC was damaged beyond repair and had to be replaced.At 1558, Lord of the Isles departed Lochboisdale, South Uist, Scotland on a scheduled service to Mallaig on the mainland.

A 26-metre research vessel designed by Incat Crowther for the Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) in Wilmington, North Carolina, is now under construction at Midship Marine’s Louisiana shipyard.The new vessel boasts a robust aluminium structure allowing it to be used by CFCC’s Marine Technology program for extended multi-day and week-long on-water research and education activities throughout the Cape Fear River system and up to 100 nautical miles offshore.Operational flexibility…

Vestdavit, a European supplier of advanced davit systems, has entered a new phase in its development through a landmark transaction under which it will be wholly acquired by Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management. The acquisition provides Vestdavit with a stronger commercial platform to drive growth and expand globally across its core naval and offshore energy markets.Under the agreement, Fairbanks Morse Defense a leading provider of OEM parts…

The captain of an oil tanker and two officers accused of severing five undersea power and telecoms cables in the Baltic Sea last December, blamed technical faults for the damage as their trial began in Helsinki on Monday.NATO allies with forces stationed around the Baltic Sea went on high alert after the December 25 incident, one of a string of suspicious cable and gas pipeline outages in the region since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.Prosecutors say the Eagle S tanker deliberately dragged its 11…

Vestdavit has bolstered its position as a supplier of boat-handling systems to navies worldwide after landing an order to deliver multiple davits and painter booms for a series of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs) contracted by the French Navy at domestic yards.The davit deal covers delivery and commissioning of a total of 14 PLR-5004-type davits, as well as 14 PBH-2500 painter booms, for the seven OPV newbuilds–two davits per vessel—that are being built as part of the French Ocean Patrol Vessel Program…

The Virginia Pilot Association has taken delivery of a new high-speed, pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation. It’s the Virginia pilots’ tenth launch built by the Somerset, Mass., shipyard since 1983.The all-aluminum launch is designed and outfitted for the Pilot’s Hampton Roads harbor station. An all-new, shallow-V hull by Ray Hunt Design was created to optimize speed with a low wake while maintaining seakeeping and boarding performance. It displaces about 2,000 pounds less than a similar sized offshore pilot boat.

Norwegian supplier of boat-handling systems Vestdavit has demonstrated the operational efficiency of its davits during sea trials of the equipment on U.S. Navy fleet refueling vessels being built by General Dynamics NASSCO.The pair of high-specification PLRH-5000 rescue boat davits were subject to rigorous operational testing in the recent trials performed with USNS Robert F. Kennedy, or T-AO 208, that is the fourth and latest so-called T-AO oiler to be delivered in the series…

Vestdavit has achieved a new sales record for the third successive year as its order intake hit an all-time high of Nkr380m in 2024, fueled by increased davit orders from its core naval market as well as the offshore energy sector.“It has been another fantastic year. The significant orders boost was achieved despite a transition in our Sales & Marketing department that saw us start the year with an almost entirely new sales team, which hit the ground running to deliver impressive growth through quickly developing good customer relations…

Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management (Arcline), has received POs from Austal USA to provide critical equipment for the U.S. Navy’s next-generation TAGOS-25 program.Through Fairbanks Morse Defense businesses American Fan, Federal Equipment Company (FEC), Maxim Watermakers, and Welin Lambie, the defense supplier will deliver and install fundamental systems for TAGOS-25’s oceanic surveillance ships.The TAGOS-25 ocean surveillance ships are designed to support U.S.

Advanced boat-handling systems supplied by Vestdavit have been installed on the newbuild CSOV Olympic Notos delivered for Olympic by Norway’s Ulstein Verft, which is raising the bar in terms of sustainability and operational efficiency for such vessels employed in the offshore energy sector.The leading Norwegian supplier provided a total package of five davits for the vessel including two H-9001 davits - one dedicated lifeboat davit and the other a combination of MOB (man overboard) and lifeboat davit.

Palfinger Marine, an Austrian manufacturer of hydraulic lifting, loading, and handling systems for marine applications, been selected to supply its Polar Class lifeboats and davits package for the first fleet of ships in the Canadian Coast Guard’s Multi-Purpose Vessel (MPV) renewal program.The contract covers the delivery of equipment for the first six of up to 16 vessels.The collaboration further extends Palfinger Marine’s long-standing partnership with Seaspan and the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG).

Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD) on Thursday announced it has struck a deal with Rolls-Royce to acquire its naval propulsors and handling business. The acquisition will include a range of propellers and waterjets for naval applications, as well as marine handling systems, which enable the deployment and recovery of manned and unmanned craft, and other cargo, from naval vessels.“When you look at the 150-year history of Fairbanks Morse Defense, you will find a handful of distinctive moments that completely transformed this company.

RV Resilience, a new hybrid research vessel designed by Incat Crowther and built by Snow & Company in Seattle, has been delivered to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL).RV Resilience is the Department of Energy’s first hybrid electric-diesel research vessel. The 15-meter aluminum catamaran will help PNNL sustainably expand its research activities in the Sequim Bay region of Washington state.RV Resilience’s 28 m2 main deck is equipped with an A-Frame, boom crane and movable davit in addition to a foldable swim platform.

Nordic Fender has partnered with crane and davit supplier Red Rock to provide an integrated davit and pneumatic fender system.Fender davits offer better control over the raising and lowering of fenders, ensuring a smoother process and reducing the risk of mistakes."By using fender davits, we can reduce the number of crew members needed to handle the fenders, which can lead to lower labor costs and better resource utilization. By offering Red Rock's davit systems alongside our own fenders…

Zelim, an Edinburgh based sea survival innovator, has unveiled the world's first unmanned/manned remotely controlled person-in-water rescue vessel.The vessel, dubbed GUARDIAN, is 8.4 meters long, 2.5 meters wide aluminium hulled Next Generation Fast Rescue Craft (FRC), presented to the international maritime industry for the first time at the SMM Trade Fair, which is taking place in Hamburg, Germany.Specifically designed for rapid deployment from a ship to recover both conscious and unconscious man-overboard casualties…

Vestdavit landed its biggest-ever order, a deal to deliver  davits for six multi-purpose vessels being built for the Canadian Coast Guard at Seaspan Shipyards in Vancouver. It will initially provide a total of six FF-15000 davit systems - one for each vessel - with options for another 10 units. This follow an order that it won last year with Seaspan to supply RHIB davits for the Polar Icebreaker also under construction for the Canadian Coast Guard.The hydraulically operated FF-15000…