German sea rescue service christens newest lifeboat

The German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbruchiger; DGzRS) formally named its newest fast lifeboat on Saturday, October 2.

Built by Arctic Airboats of Finland, the 8.9-metre Pug is capable of reaching speeds of up to 38 knots, making it nearly twice as fast as the older lifeboat it will replace at the DGzRS’ Prerow/Wieck station on Germany’s Baltic coast.

The new craft is the fifth in a series of PE-hulled boats to be ordered by the DGzRS from the same builder. Its name was chosen to honour Jorn Pugmeister, a Stuttgart resident and DGzRS donor.