The Cargo Ship Update has brought a big, noisy boat to the shores of Rust, and it's filled with useful loot and heavily-armed scientists who'd really rather you kept your hands off of it.
The ship, the CCSC Lazarus, will appear as a "periodic server event" that occurs every 2-to-4 in-game days. It will approach the island to a distance of about 200 meters, at which point you can ride out to it on a boat of your own and climb aboard via one of the ladders hanging down its side. At that point, you'll have to clear the defenders, hack two locked crates, and defend the ship while you're waiting for them to pop.
One further complication: Everyone else on the server can hear the boat "from kilometers away" and see it on the map, and that could possibly open the door to opportunistic behavior on the part of unscrupulous competitors. Not that we'd expect something like that to happen in Rust, right? Best to be cautious, though—better safe than sorry.
Oh, and there's a spot of radioactive waste on board as well. Once your radiation alarm goes off, it's time to go.
The update also brings a new bolt-action rifle, the L96, with "extreme projectile velocity and range with very little damage drop off or bullet drop," making it particularly effective when paired with a scope. Speaking of which, there's also a new 8X rifle scope, a few different types of new gloves (including Tactical Gloves that eliminate aim sway), an additional clothing slot, and a handful of tweaks and optimizations.
Rust's "Cargo Ship Update" is live now. Full details can be had at facepunch.com.