Speed Boats News

Last August, U.S. Navy officials carrying out a test of unmanned vessels realized they had hit a single point of failure: Starlink. A global outage across Elon Musk’s satellite network affecting millions of Starlink users had left two dozen unmanned surface vessels bobbing off the California coast, disrupting communications and halting operations for almost an hour.The incident, which involved drones intended to bolster U.S. military options in a conflict with China, was one of…

Ukrainian naval drones hit two sanctioned tankers in the Black Sea as they headed to a Russian port to load up with oil destined for foreign markets, an official said on Saturday, as Kyiv tries to pile pressure on Russia's vast oil industry.The two oil tankers, identified as the Kairos and Virat, were empty and sailing to Novorossiysk, a major Russian Black Sea oil terminal, the official at the Security Service of Ukraine told Reuters.Naval drones could be seen speeding towards hulking tankers followed by powerful explosions that caused fires on the vessels…

Arguably there are no two names more closely related to Pilot Boat design and construction in the United States than Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding and Ray Hunt Designs. Together the dynamic duo has designed and built more than 80 vessels – not to mention a vibrant refurbish and repair operation – design and building for pilot organizations around the country. In a recent episode of Maritime Matters: The MarineLink Podcast, a trio of executives: Peter Duclos, President, Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding…

During a U.S. naval test off the California coast last month, which was designed to showcase the Pentagon’s top autonomous drone boats, one vessel stalled unexpectedly.As officials scrambled to fix a software glitch, another drone vessel smashed into the idling boat’s starboard side, vaulted over the deck, and crashed back into the water – an incident captured in videos obtained by Reuters.The previously unreported episode, which involved two vessels built by U.S. defense tech rivals Saronic and BlackSea Technologies…

Guice Offshore, U.S.-based operator of dynamically positioned mini supply and multi-purpose vessels for the offshore maritime market, has launched GO Asset Leasing to meet the growing demand for lease-ready maritime vessel heavy deck equipment.GO Asset Leasing offers flexible lease terms on a variety of field-tested, well-maintained inventory of A-frames, hydraulic winches, deck cranes, hydraulic power units (HPUs), Yokohama fenders and even speedboats. Centrally located on the U.S.

Rescuers pulled three more crew members and a security guard alive from the Red Sea on Thursday, maritime security sources said, a day after Houthi militants sank the Greek ship Eternity C and said they were holding some of the crew still missing.It was the second Greek bulk carrier sunk this week by the Iran-aligned Houthi militia, shattering months of relative calm off Yemen's coast, the gateway to the Red Sea and a critical route for oil and commodities to the world.Many shipping companies have suspended voyages due to the fear of attack.

Rescuers pulled six crew members alive from the Red Sea after Houthi militants attacked and sank a second ship this week, while the fate of another 15 was unknown after the Iran-aligned group said they held some of the seafarers.The Houthis claimed responsibility for the assault that maritime officials say killed four of the 25 people aboard the Eternity C before the rest abandoned the cargo ship. Eternity C went down Wednesday morning after attacks on two previous days, sources…

Rescuers pulled six crew members alive from the Red Sea on Wednesday and 15 were still missing from the second of two ships sunk in recent days in attacks claimed by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militia after months of calm.Four of the 25 people aboard the Eternity C cargo ship were killed before the rest of the crew abandoned the vessel, which sank on Wednesday morning after being attacked on Monday and Tuesday, sources at security companies involved in a rescue operation said.The six seafarers who were rescued had spent more than 24 hours in the water…

Four seafarers on the Liberian-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carrier Eternity C were killed in a drone and speedboat attack off Yemen, an official with knowledge of the issue said on Tuesday, the second incident in a day after months of calm.The Red Sea, which passes Yemen's coast, has long been a critical waterway for the world's oil and commodities but traffic has dropped since the Iran-aligned Houthi militia began targeting ships in November 2023 in what they said was solidarity with Palestinians against Israel in the Gaza war.The deaths on the Eternity C…

The Iranian military loaded naval mines onto vessels in the Persian Gulf last month, a move that intensified concerns in Washington that Tehran was gearing up to blockade the Strait of Hormuz following Israel's strikes on sites across Iran, according to two U.S. officials.The previously unreported preparations, which were detected by U.S. intelligence, occurred some time after Israel launched its initial missile attack against Iran on June 13, said the officials, who requested…

For years, operators of high-speed boats have silently endured the physical toll of their profession. Repeated slamming impacts from rough seas caused serious injuries—many of them life-altering. However, one Navy doctor saw these challenges not as an unavoidable consequence but as a problem that could be solved. His solution? A seat that would change the course of high-speed boat safety.The hidden cost of high-speed operationsRecent research shows that professional high-speed boat operators suffer more severe injuries than seen in almost any other peacetime profession.

The U.S. Navy's efforts to build a fleet of unmanned vessels are faltering because the Pentagon remains wedded to big shipbuilding projects, according to some officials and company executives, exposing a weakness as sea drones reshape naval warfare.The lethal effectiveness of sea drones has been demonstrated in the Black Sea where Ukraine has deployed remote-controlled speed boats packed with explosives to sink Russian frigates and minesweepers since late 2022.Yemeni-backed Houthi rebels have employed similar vessels against commercial shipping in the Red Sea in recent months…

In 2018, convicted cocaine trafficker Slobodan Kostovski fled a Brazilian prison and made his way back to Europe with a fake passport.The Serbian senior quickly fell into old habits, police allege. Last August, Kostovski was arrested in Belgrade, accused of shipping 2.7 metric tonnes of cocaine from Brazil aboard a 22-meter vessel apprehended near Spain’s Canary Islands.Nicknamed “the General” by his associates, he had been trafficking “large amounts” of powder to “Europe for a long period of time,” Serbian police wrote in a 2022 intelligence report obtained exclusively by Reuters.

A Houthi drone boat ladened with explosives detonated in the Red Sea on Thursday but failed to cause any damage or casualties, the U.S. Navy said, as the Yemen-based group continued its attacks in defiance of international calls to stop.The latest attack came one day after 12 countries including the United States, Britain and Japan issued a joint statement cautioning the Houthis of unspecified "consequences" unless it halts its attacks, in what one U.S. official on Wednesday suggested was a final warning.The Iran-aligned Houthis…

Shipping traffic through the Suez Canal fell 20% between Dec. 24 and Jan. 2 compared to a year earlier, according to the PortWatch platform, after shipping companies began re-routing vessels in response to attacks by Yemen's Houthis.From Dec. 15, when Maersk became the first shipper to announce diversions, until Jan. 2, the most recent date for which International Monetary Fund's PortWatch has data, the number of tankers and cargo ships passing through the crucial shipping lane fell by 10%.But seven-day averages only began dipping on Dec.

Facing rising costs, an Icelandic tour operator is using technology powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance safety and slash insurance premiums for its fleet of high-speed rigid inflatable boats (RIB).Reykjavík-based Whale Safari runs tourist RIBs for whale and bird watching excursions in Iceland. From an insurer’s standpoint, the endeavor—which sees vessels that seat up to 12 passengers achieving high speeds and g-force wave impacts—is inherently risky. To make matters worse for companies like Whale Safari…

Laser Weapon Demonstrator (LWD) trials onboard the German frigate Sachsen have successfully been completed, following on from the integration of the LWD in June 2022, MBDA, a multi-national European group specializing in the field of complex weapon system.The High-Energy Laser Naval Demonstrator Working Group (or ARGE), consisting of MBDA Deutschland GmbH and Rheinmetall, is responsible for development and construction of the LWD, and for supporting the trials that were planned and organized by the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment…

VIKING Norsafe Life-saving Equipment HELLAS has secured orders from Greece’s Ministry of Shipping & Island Policy to deliver 31 patrol boats and three high-speed boats to the Hellenic Coast Guard. The orders, covered in three separate contracts with the VIKING Life-saving Equipment subsidiary, are part of an EU-backed Hellenic Coast Guard procurement program which was initiated four years ago.Two of the contracts cover 31 boats based on VIKING Norsafe’s proven Munin S1200 hull form, with the design adapted to meet client requirements.

Any competition requires skill — but when the stakes are high and seas are rough, the right technology can set contenders apart. On the popular National Geographic reality series "Wicked Tuna" and its spinoff, "Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks," commercial fishing crews compete to reel in elusive bluefin tuna. To brave North Atlantic waters off the coast of Gloucester, where the series is set, and bring in fish that are several hundred pounds, it's critical that captains outfit their…

Russia's Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that the Russian warship Ivan Khurs had been attacked unsuccessfully by three Ukrainian uncrewed speedboats in the Black Sea, on the approaches to the Bosphorus strait.In a statement posted on Telegram, the ministry said the warship had been protecting the TurkStream and Blue Stream gas pipelines - which carry gas from Russia to Turkey, partly across the Black Sea - and "continues to fulfill its tasks".No comment was immediately available from Kyiv.The ministry cited the attack as a justification for Russia expanding defensive measures.

A former heavyweight boxer from Montenegro was charged by the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday with trafficking in 22 tons of cocaine worth over $1 billion, most of which was part of one of the largest cocaine seizures in American history.Goran Gogic, 43, was arrested on Sunday night while trying to board a flight to Zurich from Miami International Airport, after being indicted by a grand jury in New York.Prosecutors charged Gogic with three counts of violating the federal Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act, and one count of conspiracy.

Four times the tonnage of the original Open Arms rescue tugboat and with a capacity to carry up to 1,000 people, the Open Arms Uno made its first rescue on Wednesday, picking up 101 migrants stranded on a wooden boat off the Tunisian coast."Sit down, if you don't sit down we don't continue," a crew member shouted to the excited migrants from a speed boat launched from the vessel operated by the Spanish charity Open Arms before all were taken aboard.One had jumped into the water to try to reach the speed boat…

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday they had seized a foreign ship in Gulf waters loaded with what they described as smuggled diesel.Guards commander Ahmad Hajian said the ship's 11 crew had been detained, but did not give details on their nationality or identify the ship."After inspection, more than 150,000 liters of smuggled diesel were discovered," Iran's state broadcaster quoted Hajian as saying.The semi-official Fars news agency, which is close to the Revolutionary Guards…