ARES Shipyard has delivered four of 16 ARES 18 SAR boats to the General Directorate of Coastal Safety, enhancing Turkey's maritime rescue capabilities.
ARES Shipyard has delivered the first 4 boats as part of the ARES 18 SAR Search and Rescue Boat Project, which involves a total of 16 units for the General Directorate of Coastal Safety (KEGM). It is planned to produce 12 more boats within the scope of the project to be added to the KEGM inventory.
ARES Shipyard has completed a significant milestone in the ARES 18 SAR Search and Rescue Boat Project conducted for the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure's General Directorate of Coastal Safety. The first 4 ARES 18 SAR boats have been delivered to KEGM, thus completing one-quarter of the project.
When the project is completed, 16 new boats will be added to the search and rescue fleet of the General Directorate of Coastal Safety. Following the delivery of the 4 boats, the production and delivery process for the remaining 12 ARES 18 SAR boats is expected to continue.
18.5-meter Search and Rescue Platform
The ARES 18 SAR is designed to be approximately 18.5 meters long and constructed with an aluminum hull. The boats are being built in accordance with Turkish Lloyd classification rules. According to ARES's technical specifications, the overall length of the platform is stated to be 18.25 meters, with a width of 5.10 meters and a maximum speed of 25 knots. The boats feature a main propulsion system with two fixed pitch propellers.
The platform is designed for various missions, including search and rescue operations, personnel recovery from the sea, evacuation of the injured, emergency first aid, fire-fighting support, and towing operations. ARES indicates that the boat has been developed to perform uninterrupted operations day and night under various sea and weather conditions.
Self-Righting Capability
One of the standout features of the ARES 18 SAR is its self-righting capability. The first boat of the series successfully completed a capsizing test conducted in June 2026. The test confirmed that after a capsizing scenario, the boat could right itself and remain afloat without external intervention, allowing it to continue its mission.
This feature is critically important for personnel safety and mission continuity, especially in search and rescue operations. The ability of a SAR boat to return to operational position after capsizing directly contributes to maintaining operational capability in challenging sea conditions.
The project has entered the mass production phase
The contract between ARES and the General Directorate of Coastal Safety was signed on May 21, 2025. A welding ceremony for the first boat of the project was held at ARES Shipyard facilities in October 2025, marking the beginning of the mass production process for the 16-boat project.
The first ARES 18 SAR boat was launched in June 2026. ARES aims for the boats to contribute to search and rescue operations within Turkey's maritime jurisdiction areas and the Turkish Straits.
With the delivery of the first 4 boats, the project has now reached the transition phase from production to inventory, and the delivery of the remaining 12 boats is expected to significantly strengthen the search and rescue fleet of the General Directorate of Coastal Safety.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
