ΛΣ–HCG 1055
Hellenic Coast Guard RAFNAR Leiftur 1100 Cabin Patrol High-Speed Patrol Craft
ΛΣ–HCG 1055 is a high-speed special-mission patrol craft of the Hellenic Coast Guard – Ελληνική Ακτοφυλακή, belonging to the fleet of ten RAFNAR Leiftur 1100 Cabin Patrol boats donated to the Coast Guard through the Greek shipping community's social-welfare organisation SYN-ENOSIS / ΣΥΝ-ΕΝΩΣΙΣ.
Built in Greece to an Icelandic RAFNAR design, the craft combines a distinctive rough-weather hull with 900 hp of outboard power, speeds exceeding 50 knots, ballistic protection and an advanced surveillance and communications suite.
HCG 1055 was one of the first five boats in the programme and uses:
2 × Mercury 450 hp outboard engines.
It was originally announced in 2020 for service with the Port Authority of Kalymnos, but was subsequently reassigned. By April 2021 the vessel had officially joined the Central Port Authority of Alexandroupolis, where later Hellenic Coast Guard procurement notices continued to identify PLS 1055 as an assigned operational craft.
PiraeuShips recorded HCG 1055 at Piraeus in 2026, adding one of the Hellenic Coast Guard's most specialised small fast patrol craft to the archive.
Vessel Details
Designation: ΛΣ–HCG 1055 / ΠΛΣ 1055
Operator: Hellenic Coast Guard – Ελληνική Ακτοφυλακή
Type: High-Speed Patrol / Special-Mission RIB
Design: RAFNAR Leiftur 1100 Cabin Patrol
Design Origin: Iceland
Construction: Greece
Programme: Donation by the Union of Greek Shipowners through SYN-ENOSIS
Individual Donor: Onassis Foundation
Length Overall: 11.55 m
Propulsion: 2 × Mercury outboard engines
Power per Engine: 450 hp
Total Power: 900 hp
Maximum Speed: over 50 knots; programme specification states over 51 knots
Cabin: Enclosed and ballistically protected
Thermal Camera: FLIR
Navigation Radar: Simrad
Additional Surveillance: Day/night camera and command-and-control systems
Weapons Provision: Forward mounting for heavy weapon; published configuration includes 12.7 mm machine-gun capability
Medical Role: Cabin can be reconfigured for casualty / patient transport
Initial Announced Assignment: Kalymnos
Later Confirmed Assignment: Central Port Authority of Alexandroupolis
Status: Operational Coast Guard patrol craft; latest official public assignment located at Alexandroupolis.
The RAFNAR Donation Programme
HCG 1055 formed part of a major initiative to strengthen the:
Hellenic Coast Guard's high-speed patrol capability.
The programme began with the donation of:
five rigid inflatable boats
with an option for another five.
The option was subsequently exercised, creating a total fleet of:
ten Leiftur 1100 Cabin Patrol craft.
Funded by the Greek Shipping Community
The project was organised through:
SYN-ENOSIS
the social-contribution organisation of the:
Union of Greek Shipowners.
Funding came from a group of major Greek maritime companies, foundations and shipping families.
The programme therefore represents a direct connection between:
Greek commercial shipping
and:
the modernisation of the country's maritime law-enforcement fleet.
HCG 1055 and the Onassis Foundation
The specific vessel:
1055
was funded through a donation by the:
Onassis Foundation.
During the original presentation, the Chief of the Hellenic Coast Guard explicitly thanked the Foundation for financing the craft.
Icelandic Design – Greek Construction
The ten vessels were developed from the:
RAFNAR Leiftur 1100 Cabin Patrol
design.
RAFNAR is Icelandic, but the Coast Guard boats were:
constructed in Greece.
This combination is particularly interesting for the PiraeuShips archive: an Icelandic high-performance patrol concept adapted and built domestically for the Hellenic Coast Guard.
11.55 Metres
Official programme information gives total length of:
11.55 m.
Despite being only around twelve metres long, these boats were conceived for demanding frontline operations rather than normal harbour patrol work.
900 Horsepower
The first five craft in the programme, including HCG 1055, were equipped with:
2 × outboard engines
producing a combined:
900 hp.
Contemporary reporting on 1055 specifically identifies:
2 × Mercury 450 hp engines.
More Than 50 Knots
The craft is capable of speeds:
above 50 knots.
SYN-ENOSIS' official programme description gives:
more than 51 knots.
Contemporary operational reports from Alexandroupolis likewise described the boat as capable of more than:
50 knots.
This makes HCG 1055 substantially faster than most conventional Coast Guard patrol vessels.
Rough-Weather Hull
The RAFNAR design is intended specifically to maintain high operational capability in:
difficult sea conditions.
SYN-ENOSIS emphasised the ability of the vessels to operate under adverse weather conditions as one of the central reasons for selecting the design.
This is particularly important for missions in:
the Aegean,
Dodecanese,
and:
northeastern maritime border regions.
Ballistic Protection
HCG 1055 is not simply a commercial RIB painted in Coast Guard colours.
The enclosed wheelhouse incorporates:
anti-ballistic protection.
Contemporary descriptions state that protection was developed according to:
NATO-related standards and specifications.
The additional weight makes the vessel's high-speed performance especially notable.
FLIR Thermal Camera
The vessel is fitted with:
FLIR thermal imaging.
Contemporary technical reporting identifies the installation as part of the craft's:
day/night surveillance
and:
target-detection suite.
Thermal imaging is particularly useful during:
night operations,
search and rescue,
border surveillance,
and interception missions.
Simrad Navigation Radar
Navigation equipment includes:
Simrad radar.
Together with the thermal camera and command-and-control systems, this provides HCG 1055 with significantly greater situational awareness than a conventional small patrol boat.
Day/Night Recording
The craft also carries a:
day/night camera system.
Published descriptions identify:
MOHOC
equipment intended to assist with operational recording and evidence collection.
Heavy-Weapon Capability
The Leiftur 1100 Cabin Patrol programme was designed with the ability to accept:
heavy weapon installations.
Reporting on HCG 1055 specifically described a forward mounting for a:
12.7 mm machine gun.
Actual armament can naturally vary according to mission and operational configuration.
Convertible Medical Cabin
One of the more unusual capabilities is the ability to convert the enclosed cabin for:
patient or casualty transport.
SYN-ENOSIS states that the boats can be reconfigured for the transport of:
sick or injured persons.
This makes HCG 1055 useful not only for:
interception
and:
maritime security,
but also for:
search and rescue
and:
medical evacuation.
Initially Announced for Kalymnos
There is an interesting detail in the vessel's early history.
At the original handover, Coast Guard leadership announced that:
HCG 1055 would be allocated to the Port Authority of Kalymnos.
The stated purpose was to reinforce Coast Guard presence in the sensitive:
eastern Aegean.
Reassigned to Alexandroupolis
However, the assignment changed soon afterwards.
By:
23–26 April 2021
HCG 1055 was publicly presented at:
Alexandroupolis
as a new vessel entering the strength of the:
Central Port Authority of Alexandroupolis.
This explains why older references associate 1055 with Kalymnos while later official records place it at Alexandroupolis.
Alexandroupolis Assignment Confirmed Officially
The Hellenic Coast Guard later issued procurement notices specifically for:
unleaded petrol for PLS 1055
under the:
Central Port Authority of Alexandroupolis.
Official notices confirm this assignment in:
2022
2023
and:
2024.
A late-2024 request concerning additional equipment for Alexandroupolis also referred to the existing:
PLS 1055
serving the port.
I have not found a later reliable official notice confirming a permanent reassignment elsewhere.
Piraeus in 2026
PiraeuShips published:
ΛΣ – HCG 1055
in:
March 2026.
The original page contained only the video and vessel label, without technical identification.
The new profile now makes it clear that the craft seen at Piraeus is:
RAFNAR Leiftur 1100 Cabin Patrol
11.55 m
900 hp
50+ knots
and one of the specialised Coast Guard boats donated through SYN-ENOSIS.
The vessel's appearance in Piraeus should not automatically be interpreted as a permanent change of station, since the latest public assignment documentation found still links PLS 1055 with Alexandroupolis.
PiraeuShips Record
HCG 1055 was recorded by PiraeuShips in Piraeus during the operational career of one of the Hellenic Coast Guard's specialised RAFNAR Leiftur 1100 Cabin Patrol craft. Built in Greece to an Icelandic RAFNAR design, the 11.55-metre boat was funded through the Union of Greek Shipowners' SYN-ENOSIS programme, with the Onassis Foundation financing this particular unit. Powered by two 450-hp Mercury outboards, HCG 1055 develops more than 50 knots while carrying ballistic protection, thermal and day/night surveillance systems, modern communications equipment and provision for heavy armament. The enclosed cabin can also be configured for medical evacuation. Although originally announced for Kalymnos, the vessel was subsequently assigned to the Central Port Authority of Alexandroupolis, with later official Coast Guard procurement records confirming that station. The PiraeuShips footage therefore documents a compact but highly specialised frontline patrol craft whose technical capability is far more significant than the original archive description suggested.
Original video footage © PiraeuShips. All rights reserved.
