An Australian rescue organisation has formally welcomed a new boat into service while a compatriot has unveiled a harbour response craft slated to become operational in the coming weeks. A new berthing barge has been delivered to the US Navy and an Indian Navy training ship was recently launched. Lastly, construction contracts for future US Coast Guard icebreakers have been awarded.
The Port Authority of New South Wales (PANSW) in Australia has unveiled a new 10-metre marine response vessel supplied by the Whiskey Project Group.
When completed, the new rigid inflatable boat (RIB) will join PANSW's Sydney Harbour and Port Botany response teams and. With twin outboard engines that deliver speeds of up to 42 knots and an 870-litre fuel capacity, she will support crews in fast, reliable emergency response and patrol duties around port waters.
The port authority said it has been working closely with more than 20 local specialist shipbuilders and maritime experts over the past several months to facilitate the delivery of the vessel.
Bollinger Shipyards of Louisiana has handed over a new berthing and messing barge to the US Navy.
APL 72 belongs to a class of barges designated by the navy as the auxiliary personnel lighter–small (APL(S)) vessels. The first two APL(S) vessels, APL 70 and APL 71, were delivered to the navy in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
The APL(S) are used by the navy to house crewmembers when ships are in port for availabilities and inter-deployment training cycles.
Australian volunteer search and rescue (SAR) organisation Marine Rescue NSW officially commissioned a new response boat into service on Thursday, February 19.
The 10-metre rigid inflatable boat (RIB) Trial Bay 30 was delivered to Marine Rescue NSW's Trial Bay station in June 2024 and has completed more than 60 SAR missions since then, safely returning almost 150 people to shore.
The commissioning formally welcomed the vessel into the Marine Rescue NSW fleet.
Indian shipbuilder Larsen and Toubro (L&T) has launched a new training vessel ordered by the Indian Navy.
The future INS Krishna is the lead unit of a new class of three ships to be used in the training of naval officer cadets. Construction of all three ships will take place at L&T's yard at Adani Katupalli Port in Tamil Nadu.
Upon completion, the future Krishna will have a length of 122 metres, a beam of 18 metres, a displacement of 4,700 tonnes, and accommodation for 170 crewmembers and up to 200 cadets.
The US Coast Guard has completed the award of contracts for the construction of a new class of 11 medium icebreakers.
The coast guard said the contract awarded on Wednesday, February 11, will build on previous awards announced on December 29, 2025, and will deliver 11 Arctic security cutters (ASCs), which will form the backbone of a modern US icebreaker fleet.
Davie Defense will construct two ASCs at Helsinki Shipyard in Finland and three domestically. A multi-purpose icebreaker (MPI) design developed jointly by Canada's Seaspan Shipyards and Finland's Aker Arctic has been selected to serve as the basis for the ASCs.
