Small, manoeuvrable and fitted with a distinctive skid at the stern: the Navy has expanded its fleet to include jet skis. The ‘Biber’ models can reach speeds of up to 38 knots and are intended for use in situations where larger patrol boats are less flexible. The jet skis can also be used to carry out checks in military security zones. The inspection of recreational craft is explicitly mentioned as a possible use. Outside such security zones, however, the Navy requires a legal basis for this. Without a legitimate reason, it cannot simply pull up alongside a vessel and check for licences, alcohol or equipment.
Locations on the North Sea and the Baltic Sea
The official designation for these vessels is Maritime Interdiction Security Safety Craft, or MISC for short. Because of their wide stern, the jet skis are also known as ‘beavers’. The equipment supplied to the Navy includes a reinforced hull, signal lights and rescue equipment. According to the dpa report on the presentation in Wilhelmshaven The jet skis can reach speeds of up to 70 kilometres per hour, which is equivalent to around 38 knots. The vehicles are still undergoing testing. It remains to be seen whether they will be introduced on a larger scale.
The first six Biber vehicles are spread across two locations: three have been stationed in Neustadt in Holstein, and a further three in Wilhelmshaven. Warnemünde is earmarked as an additional deployment site.
Use in patrols and rescue operations
Anyone entering a military security zone must expect to be checked. Soldiers entrusted with guard or security duties are authorised to establish a person’s identity and check whether they are authorised to be there. The legal basis for this is the Act on Military Guard and Security Duties.
The Marine therefore also stocks sports and leisure boats as potential targets for such checks. These small vessels enable emergency services to approach boats directly without having to dispatch a larger security vessel. In Wilhelmshaven, for example, the route to the large sea lock leads through the military outer harbour. Pleasure craft are permitted to pass through this area under strict access regulations in order to reach the lock. A ‘Biber’ crew could, for example, check there whether a boat is actually heading for the lock and is lawfully within the security zone. This is not to be equated with a routine pleasure craft inspection carried out by the water police.
Also intended for rescue operations
For the Neustadt base, the Navy explicitly cites sea rescue alongside security duties. The stern slide is designed to make it easier to bring people out of the water and on board. How well the ‘Biber’ vessels perform in day-to-day operations is still being tested.
The Navy has not provided any details regarding range or permissible sea state. The ‘Biber’ vessels are intended to supplement operations in harbour and coastal areas, not to replace larger security vessels.
Have you ever been approached or checked by the navy whilst on your boat, and in what circumstances?
Ursula Meer
Redakteurin Panorama und Reise
