VOEA Pangai (P202)

VOEA Pangai (P202) was a Pacific Forum patrol vessel operated by Tonga.[1]

Sister ship VOEA Neiafu in 2016
History
Tonga
Name: Pangai
Commissioned: June 1990
Decommissioned: 23 April 2020
Refit: February 2009
Status: Awaiting scrapping
General characteristics
Class and type: Pacific Forum-class patrol boat
Displacement: 162 tons
Length: 103 ft (31 m)

Background

When the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea extended maritimes nations' exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to 200 kilometres (110 nmi), Australia designed and built 22 patrol vessels for 12 of its fellow members of the Pacific Forum.[1][2] Australia provided the patrol vessels free of charge, and helped build port facilities and provide training. This allowed its neighbours to exercise sovereignty over their EEZ, intercept smugglers, poaching fishers, and provide emergency services.

Australia is replacing Pangai and her two sister ships with two larger and more capable Guardian class patrol vessels.[3]

Design

The 31.5-metre (103 ft) vessels displace 162 tonnes, and are built using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment, instead of more expensive, high-performance, military-grade equipment, to ease the maintenance burden, since local maintenance will be performed in small, isolated shipyards.[4]

Operational history

Pangai was assigned to a peacekeeping mission in Bougainville, in 1994.[5] Tonga's King Tupou VI served in the Navy when he was a prince, and he was Pangai's first commanding officer.[6] He was the commanding officer in 1994, during the peacekeeping mission.[7] In 2009, after 20 years of service, Pangai returned to Australia for a major refit.[1]

Pangai provided disaster assistance, following a 2009 tsunami, to Niuafo’ou, and following Tropical Cyclone Winston, in Fiji, in 2016.[5] In 2016 Pangai participated in a joint exercise with vessels of other nations.[8] In January 2015 Pangai carried volcanologists to study ash eruption from a new volcanic island that surfaced between the islands of Hunga Tonga and Hunga Ha'apai.[9]

In 2017 Pangai found, and rescued, six lost fishermen.[10] Pangai was decommissioned on April 23, 2020, prior to her last voyage to Australia, to be scrapped.[5][7] Australia has already sent one larger and more capable patrol vessel, VOEA Ngahau Koula, to replace Pangai and her sister ships, VOEA Neiafu and VOEA Savea. A second Guardian-class patrol vessel will complete the replacement program.

References
  1. "Maritime Surveillance Adviser -- Tonga". Nautilus Institute. Archived from the original on 2019-07-06. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
  2. Dave Morley (2015-12-03). "Lifelines across Pacific" (PDF). Navy News. 58 (23). p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-08-14. Retrieved 2018-08-12. The program involves 22 Australian-gifted patrol boats to 12 Pacific island countries, the majority of which are operated by police services.
  3. "Tonga to receive new patrol boats from Australia". Tonga Broadcasting. 2017-08-22. Archived from the original on 2017-08-23. Retrieved 2018-06-26. According to Component Commander of the Navy, Commander Haisi Fonohema, Tonga will receive the 2 new patrol boats by 2019-2020.
  4. "Pacific Patrol Boat upgraded". Australian Defence. 2009-09-29. Archived from the original on 2019-07-06. Retrieved 2018-06-26. The 31.5-metre PPBs are built to a commercial standard and are used by Pacific nations for maritime surveillance and response, in particular fisheries patrols.
  5. "Navy farewells VOEA Pangai". Matangi Tonga. Nuku'alofa, Tonga. 2020-04-27. Archived from the original on 2020-04-29. Retrieved 2020-04-28. The VOEA Pangai served on various assignments including peacekeeping missions in Bougainville in 1994, assistance to Niuafo’ou in 2009 following a tsunami, and support to Fiji in 2016 after Tropical Cyclone Winston.
  6. "Australian Pacific Maritime Security Programme continues to support His Majesty's Armed Force". Loop Tonga. 2020-04-26. Archived from the original on 2020-04-29. Her commissioning Commanding Officer was then His Royal Highness Lieutenant Commander 'Ulukalala Lavaka Ata, now His Majesty King Tupou VI.
  7. "HMAF'S VOEA Pangai decommissioned after 30-year service". Tonga Broadcasting. Nuku’alofa. 2020-04-24. Archived from the original on 2020-04-29. He adds, the VOEA PANGAI was used to assist operations of the Pacific in Tuvalu in which HM King Tupou VI was a Lieutenant Commander in the Tongan Navy – while he was Prince ‘Ulukalala Lavaka Ata at the time. He then became the first Commanding Officer of the VOEA PANGAI. His time in charge, according to Commander Tuita included peacekeeping operation in Bougainville in 1994.
  8. Tony White (2016-09-29). "Cooperating in the South Pacific". Australian Navy. Archived from the original on 2019-07-06. Retrieved 2018-06-26. Involving more than 100 personnel from Tonga, the Cook Islands and Samoa, New Zealand and Australia, this year's iteration involved Cook Islands Police Patrol Boat Te Kukupa, Samoan Patrol Boat Nafanua and Tongan vessels Voea Late and Pangai.
  9. "Geo survey reports less ash coming from volcano". Matangi Tonga. Nuku'alofa, Tonga. 2015-01-19. Archived from the original on 2017-02-23. Retrieved 2020-04-28. The survey team, including two volcanologists from GNS-Science in New Zealand, visited the site, located on a NNW bearing 65km from Vuna Wharf, on January 17, on board the VOEA Pangai. The site observation was sponsored by the New Zealand High Commission.
  10. "Six fishermen who were missing at sea since Tuesday 23 May 2017 during gale force winds have been rescued". Tonga. 2017-05-26. Archived from the original on 2018-10-31. Retrieved 2020-04-29. The HMAF V.O.E.A Pangai was deployed with three Police Officers from the Search and Rescue Unit at 10:30pm to pick up and rescued the fishermen. They located the fishermen at 6:30am this morning Friday 26 May and they returned with them to Nuku’alofa at 11:00am.
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