Nafanua III (04) is a Guardian-class patrol boat entering[needs update] service with the Samoan Police Force. She was given to Samoa by Australia as part of the Pacific Maritime Security Program, in which Australia donates patrol boats to neighbouring Pacific Island nations in order to improve regional maritime security.[3] She is the 2nd boat given to Samoa under the program, as she was ordered by Australia on 2 November 2022 as a replacement for her sister ship Nafanua II, which was damaged beyond repair when she ran aground on 5 August 2021. Nafanua II had only two years earlier replaced the 31 year old Pacific-class patrol boat Nafanua as the small island nation's sole maritime security craft.[4][5] Although she was ordered as the 22nd and ultimate boat of her class, she was delivered on 22 November 2023 as the 18th.[6][7]
Quick Facts History, Samoa ...
 Nafanua III at Austal shipyards in February 2023. |
| History |
|---|
 Samoa |
|---|
| Name | Nafanua III |
| Namesake | Nafanua |
| Operator | Samoan Police Force |
| Ordered | 2 November 2022 |
| Builder | Austal |
| Cost | A$15.2 million[1] |
| Yard number | 542 |
| Acquired | 22 November 2023 |
| In service | 2024 |
| Homeport | Apia |
| Identification | |
| Status | Delivered |
| General characteristics |
|---|
| Type | Patrol boat |
| Length | 39.5 m (129 ft 7 in) |
| Beam | 8 m (26 ft 3 in) |
| Draught | 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) |
| Propulsion | 2 × Caterpillar 3516C diesels, 2 shafts |
| Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Range | 3,000 nmi (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement | 23 |
Sensors and
processing systems | |
| Armament | Australia provides the ships without armament, but they are designed to be able to mount heavy machine guns, or an autocannon of up to 30 mm on the foredeck |
Close
Following the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Pacific Islands nations found themselves in need of capable yet economical vessels to patrol their exclusive economic zones. In an effort to improve regional maritime security as well as diplomatic relations with the island states, the Australian government launched the Pacific Patrol Boat Program in 1983, in which they would build and gift 22 Pacific-class patrol boats to 12 Pacific Island nations over the next 14 years.[8] The patrol boats were built with commercial off-the-shelf-components in order to ease maintenance costs for the island nations. Australia remained involved with maintaining the class for the next three decades, with a refit after 15 years of operation.
Nafanua was launched in 1988 and delivered to Western Samoa. She departed Samoa on 13 June 2019 to be decommissioned in Australia.[4]
The Australian government announced the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project on 17 June 2014.[9] A contract for the construction of at least 19 boats and an initial seven-year maintenance and support period was signed with Austal on 4 May 2016.[10][11][12] The keel of the first vessel was laid on 30 July 2017, before she was launched on 30 May 2018.[12][13][14][15][16]
Nafanua II was the fourth boat of the program, delivered on 16 August 2019,[17][18] and commissioned on 16 October.[19][20]
On 5 August 2021 Nafanua II ran aground on a reef near Salelologa wharf while transporting police officers to Savai'i to manage a protest.[21] Australian specialists loaded her onto a barge and transported her to Cairns for assessment. She was found to be beyond economical repair, and given back to Australia for disposal.[22] On 21 December 2021 the officer-in-charge of the boat at the time of the accident, Superintendent Taito Sefo Faaoi Hunt, was found guilty on three charges of negligence by a Police disciplinary tribunal.[23] On 4 January he was fined $2000 Samoan tālā and demoted from superintendent to corporal.[24]
During a visit to Apia in June 2022, Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced that Australia will build an additional vessel to replace Nafanua II.[25][26] Austal announced that the order for the 22nd patrol boat had been placed on 2 November 2022.[1][27]
The Guardian class uses a steel monohull design based on that of the Bay class, which had been in service with the Australian Border Force since 1999.[10][28] The patrol boats are 39.5 metres (129 ft 7 in) long with two habitable internal decks below the bridge.[8] They are capable of traveling 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph), and have a maximum speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph). They have two Caterpillar 3516C 2,000-kilowatt (2,700 hp) diesel engines powering two fixed-pitch propellers.[12][29] A key design goal being ease of maintenance to accommodate small and isolated shipyards, the class uses commercial off-the-shelf components.[12]
In addition to the commanding officer's quarters, the boats have seven living quarters designed to berth 20 crew members. Three of them are staterooms that have their own showers in order to accommodate a mixed-sex crew. They also have a sick bay with a separate ventilation system, which during normal operations is used as two berths, bringing the total complement up to 23.[8][30]
The vessels have a stern launching ramp for a WRH635 fast rescue boat.[8][12][28][31] These are SOLAS-certified rigid-hulled inflatable boats designed to carry up to 15 persons. They are 6.35 metres (20 ft 10 in) long, with two Yamaha 67 kW (90 hp) outboard motors and an operational weight of 2,612.5 kilograms (5,760 lb).[32][33] The stern is also equipped with a port side crane serving a 16-square-metre (170 sq ft) cargo deck.[12][29]
Australia instructed that the boats would be delivered without armament, but they were designed to be capable of mounting an autocannon of up to 30 millimetres (1.2 in) on their foredeck, and a 0.50-calibre machine gun both port and starboard in front of the bridge.[8]
In June 2022, three design flaws were reported in the media. This included cracking in the coupling between the engine and the gear box, the sick bay ventilation system recirculating air and an exhaust leak causing carbon monoxide to enter the normally non-crewed engine compartment.[34][35][36]
Nafanua III was delivered to Defence Australia by Austal, and handed over to the Samoan Police Service at HMAS Stirling on 22 November 2023.[7][37][38] Her new crew arrived in Henderson in September to prepare for the voyage to Samoa, where she is likely to arrive in January 2024.[6][5][38]
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Patrick Bergin (2019-11-24). "Security challenges rule the waves in Pacific". The Australian. Archived from the original on 2023-04-05. Retrieved 2019-11-24. Next year Fiji, Palau, Kiribati and Tonga will receive their boats. Following this, a new patrol boat will be delivered approximately every three months until 2023. Australia has committed $2bn to the program over the next 30 years.
Peato, Bethel (2023-04-25). "Australia Gifts $30M Vessel To Samoa". EYESPY Radio 87.5 FM. Archived from the original on 2023-11-01. Retrieved 2023-11-01. In an interview with Deputy Police Commissioner Papalii Monalisa Tiai-Keti, she stated that the handover of the vessel is anticipated to take place in Australia later this year, and added that it will arrive in the country in early 2024.
Rheeney, Alexander (2023-03-03). "Replacement patrol boat ready in November". Samoa Observer. Archived from the original on 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2023-11-01. Samoa's replacement Guardian-class patrol boat Nafanua III will be ready for acceptance in Australia in November this year and set for the voyage home in January next year.
Morse, Cameron (2023-11-22). "AUSTAL AUSTRALIA DELIVERS 18th GUARDIAN CLASS PATROL BOAT". Austal (Press release). HMAS Stirling. Archived from the original on 2023-11-22. Retrieved 2023-11-22. The vessel, Nafanua III, was accepted by representatives from the Department of Defence and then gifted by the Australian Government, to the Samoa Police Service at a handover ceremony held at HMAS Stirling in Western Australia on 22 November 2023.
"Australia's Defence Engagement in the Pacific: 2016 Defence White Paper". Australian Navy. 2016. Archived from the original on 2018-01-22. Retrieved 2018-04-22. The Pacific Patrol Boats are gifted by Australia as sovereign assets, and have enabled Pacific Island countries to take an active role in securing their own borders and resources – to the benefit of the region overall. The PPBs are used to undertake a wide range of tasks, from fisheries enforcement, to Search and rescue, to movement of ballot boxes.
"Austal Pacific Patrol Boat 40". Naval Technology. 2018-12-14. Archived from the original on 2018-07-22. Retrieved 2018-01-21. Under the contract, Austal will offer support services to the replacement patrol boats initially for seven years.
"Keel laying for first Pacific Patrol Boat replacement". Monch Publishing Group. 2017-07-30. Archived from the original on 2018-04-23. Retrieved 2018-04-23. The new 'Guardian' class patrol boats will come to replace the 12 Pacific Island nations' ageing 'Pacific' class patrol boats, which had been gifted by Australia under the PPB programme implemented in 1983. The first vessel is scheduled for delivery to Papua New Guinea, who will receive a total of four patrol boats, by October 2018 and the last vessel is scheduled for delivery by 2023.
Minister for Defence Industry (2017-07-31). "Pacific Patrol Boat Milestone". Department of Defence (Press release). Archived from the original on 2018-09-24. Retrieved 2017-09-22. Another milestone has been reached in Australia's continuous naval shipbuilding program with a ceremonial keel laying for the first new Pacific Patrol Boat.
Whiting, Gemma (2018-05-30). "AUSTAL LAUNCHES FIRST GUARDIAN CLASS PACIFIC PATROL BOAT". Austal (Press release). Henderson, Australia. Archived from the original on 2022-10-14. Retrieved 2022-10-14. Austal [...] today announced the first of 21 Guardian Class, Pacific Patrol Boats (PPB-R) has been launched just two years after the contract was awarded, keeping with the schedule and budget for the project. [...] with a further contract awarded in April 2018 for two additional vessels for AU$29.7 million.
Whiting, Gemma (2019-08-16). "AUSTAL DELIVERS FOURTH GUARDIAN CLASS PATROL BOAT". Austal (Press release). Retrieved 2022-10-14. Austal [...] is pleased to announce the on-time delivery of the fourth Guardian Class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the [AU DoD]. The vessel was today gifted by the Government of Australia to the Government of Samoa during a handover ceremony at Austal's Henderson shipyard, attended by the Samoan Deputy Prime Minister the Hon. Flame Naomi Mata'afe and Commissioner of Police, Mr Fuiavailili Egon Lincoln Keil. Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon. Melissa Price MP, represented the Government of Australia.
"Samoa receives Guardian-class Patrol Boat". Mirage News. Henderson, Australia. 2019-08-16. Retrieved 2019-08-16. The Australian Government has today handed over the newest Guardian-class Patrol Boat Nafanua II to the Samoan Government at a ceremony in Henderson, Western Australia. Nafanua II was received by Samoa's Deputy Prime Minister the Honourable Fiame Naomi Mata'afa and the Commissioner of Police Mr Fuivaili'ili Egon Keil.
"Samoa Commissions Nafanua II". samoaglobalnews.com (Press release). Apia, Samoa: Samoa Global News. Government of Samoa. 2019-10-17. Archived from the original on 2019-12-12. Retrieved 2022-10-12. The new Police Patrol Boat – Nafanua II was commissioned in a brief ceremony yesterday. The ceremony was officiated by the Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi [...] The welcoming of the new $30million tala "Guardian Class Patrol Boat – Nafanua II" is essential to the protection of our blue Pacific,
Naval News Staff (2022-11-02). "Australian Government orders additional Guardian-class Patrol boats". Naval News. Archived from the original on 2022-11-03. Retrieved 2023-11-01. The Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project (SEA3036-1) was awarded to Austal Australia in May 2016, with an additional contract option awarded in April 2018, taking the program to 21 vessels, valued at more than A$335 million.
"Austal Pacific Patrol Boat 40" (PDF). Austal. May 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-09-24. Retrieved 2018-01-21. Austal will design, construct and deliver the 19 steel-hulled patrol boats (valued at $280 million) to 12 Pacific Island nations. The contract includes an option for two additional vessels.
Sapeer Mayron (2018-08-15). "Maritime police get $113,535 boost". Samoa Observer. Archived from the original on 2018-08-22. Retrieved 2018-08-18. The change rooms are a necessary addition because in August 2019, the wing will receive an Australian government-funded Guardian Class Patrol Boat, which will be used by both male and female police.
Michael Arnold (2019-02-05). "Patrol Boats Set To Upgrade Capabilities". Fiji Post Courier. Archived from the original on 2019-02-07. Retrieved 2019-02-05. They are capable of operating in Sea State 4 and are equipped with a "game changing" stern-launched zodiac (inflatable boarding vessel), which is a first for both the PNG and the Australian navy.
"WRH635 fast rescue boat 15 persons". dewolfmaritime.com. De Wolf Maritime. Archived from the original on 2022-11-01. Retrieved 2022-10-27. The WRH635FRB [...] developed as a 15 persons Fast Rescue Boat for Survey and Stand-By vessels. [...] Overall length: 6.35 m Overall width: 2.80 m [...] Weight operational (including 15 persons and 2 x 90 HP engine): 2.612,5 kg
The Shephard News Team (2022-03-16). "Micronesia receives first Guardian-class patrol boat with another to come". Shephard Media. Christchurch. Archived from the original on 2022-03-16. Retrieved 2022-10-14. 11 March. FSS Tosiwo Nakayama is one of two 39.5m-long Guardian-class boats destined for the Federated States of Micronesia under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project. Each Guardian-class vessel carries a fast rescue boat powered by two 90hp Yamaha outboard motors, deployed and retrieved by a launch and recovery system fitted at the stern. The vessels are also armed with a 30mm calibre gun along with optional 0.50cal general-purpose machine guns.
"Vanuatu's Australian-supplied patrol boat awaiting repairs". Radio New Zealand. Port Vila, Vanuatu. 2022-07-04. Archived from the original on 2022-07-04. Retrieved 2022-10-31. Vanuatu's patrol boat RVS Takuare remains docked at the SinoVan wharf in Port Vila where it has been since the second week of June because of an engine defect. [...] was producing carbon monoxide, and black smoke could be seen on the covering of the exhaust. The commander said he didn't want to risk continuing using the Takuare because the emissions could harm the team in the engine room
Hurst, Daniel (2022-06-30). "Serious defects discovered in patrol boats Australia supplied to Pacific Islands". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2022-06-30. Retrieved 2022-10-12. Pacific island countries may halt the use of Australian-provided patrol boats after potentially serious defects were discovered, in a blow to a $2.1bn maritime security program. [...] medical bay in the vessel uses recirculated air, rather than fresh air. [...] fault in the exhaust system. It is understood carbon monoxide was entering a compartment.
Arthur, Gordon (2022-07-06). "Questions raised over Australia's Guardian ship". Shephard Media. Christchurch. Archived from the original on 2022-07-09. Retrieved 2022-10-14. Technical faults have been reported in patrol boats being donated by Australia to its Pacific neighbours. Austal Australia is building 22 Guardian-class patrol boats for Pacific nations, but faults have been identified that have seen a number of vessels awaiting rectification. The chief problem relates to the type's exhaust system.
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