The hull of the first of eight MK VI patrol boats bound for Ukraine has been spotted in transit.

Naval News reported about this.

On January 24, the Port of Tacoma released a video featuring the first completed boat hull being transferred to the SAFE Boats facility for further work.

Port of Tacoma officials pointed out that the delivery was completed earlier this month, but did not mention the exact date.

The U.S. Department of State approved Ukraine’s request to purchase 16 modern Mark VI Patrol Boats and related weapons on June 17, 2020. The total value of this agreement is $600 million, but Ukraine will receive patrol boats free of charge as part of US security assistance under the Foreign Military Sale (FMS) program.

In January 2021, the US Department of Defense ordered two Mark VI Patrol Boats worth $19 million for the Navy of Ukraine.

Later, on September 30, 2021, the Pentagon ordered six additional Mark VI-class Patrol Boats for the Ukrainian Navy, modifying the contract to a final amount of $84 million. Completion of the ship production is expected in March 2025.

Mark VI

The Mark VI is a class of patrol boats designed and built by SAFE Boats international since 2015.

Their main purposes are littoral and riverine surveillance. However, they are reconfigurable for counter-sabotage, amphibious assault, or mine detection activities. The rear deck is able to launch a small UAV.

Main specifications:

• Displacement: 72 tonnes
• Length: 25.8m
• Draft: 20.5m
• Propulsion: 2 x MTU 5200 horsepower
• Speed: 45 knots
• Range: 750 nautical miles at 25 knots
• Crew: 10
• Weapons: 2 x MK 38 Mod 2 25mm chain guns. The amount can change depending on the mission. According to the FMS notice, the Ukrainian Navy boats will be fitted with the Mk44 Bushmaster II which is a 30mm chain gun.

Such boats have a maximum crew of 10 people and can accommodate up to 8 passengers.

Also, each vessel has sleeping places for six people. The autonomy of the boat depends mainly on the speed and fuel and water reserves. The MK VI is supplied with a galley for food preparation and storage.

Learn more about these boats in Leonid Vashchenko’s blog post on the purpose and analysis of Mark VI boats on Militarnyi.