In June of last year, SeaHelp celebrated its 20th anniversary in Punat, Croatia, home of its operations center. But the employees of the largest nautical breakdown service are not resting on this anniversary: three new emergency boats were already put into service in 2025, three more have been ordered and will start their work this year. In addition, two additional intervention bases are to be opened in Croatia in 2026.
Despite the difficult times in which the water sports industry currently finds itself, Europe’s largest nautical breakdown service is consistently thinking – and acting – ahead. “Three new intervention boats put into service in 2025, and another three SeaHelp intervention boats that will start work in 2026, speak a clear language,” says SeaHelp Managing Director Wolfgang Dauser. “In addition, we will open two additional intervention bases in Croatia in the coming season.”
The extremely positive feedback from members who used the SeaHelp service last year, and the many good and encouraging conversations at the anniversary celebration in Punat – which many long-standing SeaHelp members traveled to specifically from Austria and Germany – made him confident and would “confirm to the entire SeaHelp crew that we are on the right track,” said Dauser.
Rigid-hull inflatable boats are known for their good stability, excellent handling characteristics, and safety
The new intervention boats, which were already delivered last season, are RIBs (Rigid Inflatable Boats) manufactured in Tunisia, known for their excellent stability, handling characteristics, and safety – even in rough seas.
Further advantage: “the RIBs supplied by RS Marine are lighter, faster, and more seaworthy than normal inflatable boats and are therefore particularly suitable for the requirements of a modern intervention boat,” says Wolfgang Dauser. The boats include an 8.7-meter-long Evok 875 “Protector” equipped with 2 x 250 hp Suzuki engines, an Evok 25 “Defensor” (7.5 meters long, 2 x 175 hp Suzuki), and an Evok 650 “Raptor” (6.5 meters long, equipped with a 140 hp outboard, also from Suzuki).
In addition, three more intervention boats were purchased – total investment: 350,000 euros
In addition, another boat for the new season was already relocated from the Baltic Sea to Croatia in October 2025; a slightly smaller intervention boat was purchased for the Grömitz operations center.
The second boat purchased for 2026 is an inflatable boat produced in China on behalf of SeaHelp, which will be equipped with a 150 hp Yamaha outboard and appropriate navigation electronics and is scheduled for delivery in January.
A third boat, a Technomarin 9.80 acquired by SeaHelp second-hand, is already in Croatia and is currently being overhauled and prepared for service in Croatia. Investments are also being made in the existing fleet: for example, two new Yamaha 150 hp outboards are being installed on the Axopar 28 Cabin on Šolta and the Ribline 8.0 from Tribunj, and the intervention boats in Punat, Šolta, Pula, Poreč, and Tribunj are receiving new, modern navigation electronics.
“In total, we will invest more than 350,000 euros in the Croatian intervention boat fleet to ensure that we can continue to reliably secure operations in the future and remain technically up to date,” says Wolfgang Dauser.
In addition, SeaHelp will open two new bases in Croatia this year, “one base on the islands of Silba, Olib, Škarda, Ist or Molat and another in the area of Sali (Dugi Otok), the island of Žut or Žirje,” says the SeaHelp Managing Director. This will allow emergency crews to “significantly shorten” response times to casualties in these areas in the future – and incidentally also relieve the bases in Lošinj, Zadar, and Tribunj.
