Six Maritime

06/01/2026

Mission Complete.

Yesterday, Six Maritime successfully delivered the Michigan National Guard's Mark VI Patrol Boat to Alpena, Michigan, concluding an extraordinary waterway transit from Virginia.

What began as a transportation requirement became a demonstration of planning, seamanship, logistics, maintenance, and professional small-boat operations across some of North America's most complex inland waterways.

Most importantly, the vessel arrived safely and was delivered to the Michigan National Guard, where it will support future training and operational readiness missions.

A special thank you to Captain Don and the entire transit crew for their professionalism and dedication throughout the 1,235 nautical mile journey. We also appreciate the support from the many maritime professionals, lock operators, harbor personnel, and spectators who followed along and shared photos of the transit along the way.

Fair winds and following seas.

05/31/2026

MK VI Transit Update

Today, our crew reached Port Huron, Michigan, with the final leg to Alpena beginning tomorrow morning. Approximately 170 nautical miles remain before delivery.

What started in JEB Little Creek, VA has now become an incredible journey through America's inland waterways:

• 1,255 nautical miles traveled

• 8 states

• 2 countries

• 38 locks

• 3 canal systems

• 3 rivers

• 3 Great Lakes

• 1 ocean

• 13 port calls

• 8,255 gallons of fuel consumed

Along the way, our lead captain, Don, had the opportunity to cross paths with an old Coast Guard friend who is currently captaining a vessel transiting from the Great Lakes to Boston for service as a Boston Fire Department fireboat. It's a reminder that the maritime community is smaller than most people realize and that professional mariners often find themselves crossing paths in unexpected places.

As we approach the finish line, we're proud of the professionalism and dedication demonstrated by the crew throughout this mission supporting the Michigan National Guard.

One more day. One more leg.

05/28/2026

Yesterday, Six Maritime was proud to participate in the Made in America Showcase: IUU Fishing Solutions hosted by the U.S. Commercial Service alongside an impressive group of U.S. maritime technology and security companies focused on combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

The showcase brought together organizations working across maritime domain awareness, autonomous systems, surveillance technologies, and operational security to discuss approaches to strengthening maritime enforcement capabilities and improving awareness across increasingly complex maritime environments.

It was especially great seeing many familiar faces throughout the event and hearing the different ways industry is approaching persistent maritime awareness, infrastructure protection, and scalable coastal security.

At Six Maritime, we believe the future of maritime security will depend on the integration of operational experience, emerging technology, and practical deployment models that help governments and maritime stakeholders improve awareness, coordination, and response across ports, coastal regions, and critical maritime infrastructure.

We appreciate the opportunity to participate and look forward to continuing the conversation with partners across industry and government.

05/28/2026

Not every day you see a Mark VI patrol boat transiting the Erie Canal.

We came across this video from last year’s transit of Hull 1205 making its way through the canal system, a reminder of the unique logistics, seamanship, and planning required to move operational maritime capability from the East Coast into the Great Lakes region.

Meanwhile, Hull 1206 has successfully completed canal transit and is now operating in the Great Lakes as part of the ongoing mission supporting the Michigan National Guard.

Operations like this highlight that maritime security and readiness extend far beyond traditional naval ports and coastlines. Proud for Six Maritime to support missions that connect operational capability, training, and maritime expertise across the inland waterways of the United States.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgM3oCZvBkU

The Mark VI is a class of patrol boat for the United States Navy, d...

05/25/2026

A key milestone for our Mk VI transit team.

Yesterday, the crew transited Oswego Lock #8, the final lock in the New York State Canal System, officially entering Lake Ontario as the voyage toward Michigan continues.

The transit from the Chesapeake through the Hudson River and canal network has highlighted both the operational flexibility of the Mk VI platform and the professionalism of the crews moving these vessels north toward the Great Lakes.

Huge credit to Don and the entire team for the continued ex*****on throughout the voyage.

Video courtesy of Don De Leo.

05/22/2026

A recent article from Defence Security Asia discussing Iran’s reported “Azhdar” unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) highlights a broader reality that maritime security professionals need to be thinking about now, not years from now.

Much of the public conversation around autonomous threats has focused on aerial systems. Meanwhile, the maritime domain is quietly becoming more complex across the surface and subsurface environment.

Whether every reported specification of the Azhdar platform proves accurate or not, the strategic trend is real:

• Lower-cost autonomous systems are becoming more capable

• Quiet electric propulsion and distributed systems are reducing traditional warning timelines

• Chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz magnify the operational impact of even small unmanned platforms

• Critical infrastructure, shipyards, ports, and commercial shipping corridors are increasingly exposed to layered maritime threats

The challenge is not just detecting a single platform. The challenge is building an integrated maritime security architecture capable of maintaining awareness across the surface and subsurface environment in congested, real-world operating areas.

This is where the conversation needs to move beyond standalone hardware demonstrations and toward operational integration: persistent maritime domain awareness, layered detection networks, autonomous support systems,
interoperable command-and-control, and trained operators who understand the realities of live maritime environments.

The future maritime security environment will likely demand a blend of traditional operational experience and emerging autonomous capability, not one replacing the other.

At Six Maritime, we believe the organizations that learn how to integrate these systems into practical maritime operations first will shape the next generation of port security, shipyard protection, and critical infrastructure defense.

Original article by Defence Security Asia discussing the reported Iranian “Azhdar” UUV concept and its implications for maritime security. Additional context on evolving autonomous maritime threats and mine-countermeasure operations in the Strait of Hormuz can also be seen in recent reporting from the Financial Times.

Iran’s stealth Azhdar underwater drone is raising alarms across global naval commands as its silent lithium-battery propulsion and long endurance threaten US Navy operations and global shipping in the Strait of Hormuz — signalling a new era of autonomous maritime warfare.

05/21/2026

Another great update from the Mk VI transit team. Our crews are continuing northbound up the Hudson River and are expected to make their way into Schenectady, New York today as the transit toward Alpena continues.

This evolution has been a unique opportunity to support the movement and operational integration of the Mk VI platform while navigating one of the most historic inland waterways systems in the country. The route itself continues to showcase the flexibility and reach these vessels can provide when paired with experienced crews and detailed voyage planning.

Huge credit to Don and the transit team for the continued professionalism throughout the voyage.

Photo credit: Kevin Oldenburg

05/20/2026

Another major takeaway emerging from the Black Sea: the convergence of unmanned systems is accelerating.

Recent footage showing a fiber-optic guided FPV drone targeting an unmanned surface vessel highlights how rapidly layered autonomous warfare concepts are developing in real-world operations.

This is no longer simply about individual drones or standalone USVs. The operating environment is shifting toward interconnected systems capable of detection, tracking, targeting, and engagement across multiple domains simultaneously.

For maritime operators, ports, shipyards, and defense organizations, the implications are substantial:

-Faster engagement timelines
-Lower-cost precision attack capability
-Reduced reliance on traditional RF links and EW vulnerabilities
-Increasingly decentralized maritime threats

The future maritime security environment will depend heavily on persistent awareness, integrated sensors, rapid decision-making, and layered defensive architecture capable of responding at machine speed.

Video credit: via Telegram.

05/19/2026

Six Maritime’s Mk VI transit crew made it into New York City last night as the voyage north continues toward Michigan.

Our team has now successfully transited from the Chesapeake through some of the busiest waterways on the East Coast, bringing the Mk VI through NYC under clear skies and ideal conditions. Huge credit to Don and the crew for the professionalism and seamanship throughout the evolution.

Operations like this are a reminder that moving high-performance patrol craft through complex inland and coastal waterways takes more than just navigation — it requires planning, logistics coordination, vessel knowledge, and experienced crews capable of adapting in real time.

Next stop: continuing north toward the Great Lakes.

05/19/2026

Recent footage from the Black Sea highlights how quickly unmanned surface vessels are evolving from single-purpose attack platforms into modular maritime systems capable of carrying additional payloads, sensors, and deployed effects.

The operational implications are significant.

As these systems become more capable, lower cost, and increasingly adaptable, the barrier to deploying meaningful maritime strike and disruption capability continues to shrink. Ports, shipyards, anchored vessels, chokepoints, and critical maritime infrastructure are all part of the future operating environment.

The conversation around maritime security can no longer focus solely on perimeter security or traditional force protection measures. Persistent maritime domain awareness, layered detection networks, integrated sensors, and rapid-response capability are becoming essential requirements for both military and commercial operators.

The Black Sea continues to provide a real-world preview of where maritime security and autonomous systems are heading.

Video credit: via Telegram.