Western Samoan patrol vessel Nafanua II

Nafanua II (04) is a Guardian-class patrol boat being built in Australia for Samoa.[1][2] It will replace the original Nafanua, supplied to Samoa three decades earlier. Her crew will be drawn from the Samoan Police Force.[3]

A sister ship, under final construction for the Solomon Islands, in the Austal shipyards in Henderson, Western Australia
History
Samoa
Name: Nafanua II
Builder: Austal
Commissioned: August 16, 2019
Identification:
General characteristics
Class and type: Guardian-class patrol boat
Length: 39.5 m (130 ft)
Beam: 8 m (26 ft)
Draft: 2.5 ft (0.76 m)
Propulsion: 2 × Caterpillar 3516C diesels, 2 shafts
Speed: 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Range: 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
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 30mm on the foredeck

Australia supplied 22 Pacific Forum-class patrol boats to 12 of its smaller Pacific Forum allies when the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea established that maritime nations controlled an economic exclusion zone 200 kilometres (120 mi) off their coasts.

Design

Australia designed the vessels to use commercial off the shelf components, rather than cutting edge military grade components, to make it easier to maintain the vessels in small, isolated shipyards. The vessels will have a maximum speed of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph), and to have a complement of approximately 20 crewmembers. They will be able to launch and retrieve a pursuit boat from a stern launching ramp without requiring bringing the vessel to a halt.

On April 2, 2019, Police Commissioner Fuiavailili Egon Keil hinted that keeping her crew safe might require installing a deck gun.[4] Australia designed the vessels to be capable of mounting secondary machine guns, and a primary weapon of up to 30 millimeters (1.18 inches) in calibre. Australia delivers the vessels complete, except for armament, and the original Nafanua and her sister ships were armed only with small arms.

Nafanua II will be the first Samoan patrol vessel with a mixed gender crew.[5]

Operational history

Manufacturer Austal handed Nafanua II over to Samoan representatives at its plant in Henderson, Western Australia, on August 16, 2019.[3][6][7] Present at the handover ceremony, representing Samoa, were Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, and Fuivaili’ili Egon Keil, Samoa's Deputy Prime Minister and Commissioner of Police. Representing Australia were Linda Reynolds and Melissa Price, Minister for Defence and Minister for Defence Industry.

Samoa agreed that Nafanua II would cooperate under the Niue Treaty Subsidiary Agreement to conduct fishery surveillance as it transitted Australian waters, on its first voyage to Samoa, even though she had yet to be officially commissioned.[7]

Nafanua II arrived in Apia on October 4, 2019.[8]

References
  1. Sapeer Mayron (2018-08-15). "Maritime police get $113,535 boost". Samoan Observer. Archived from the original on 2018-08-18. 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.
  2. Adel Fruean (2019-01-28). "New patrol boat to boost maritime security". Samoan Observer. Archived from the original on 2019-02-07. Retrieved 2019-02-05. Under the Pacific Maritime Security Programme, Samoa will this year receive the Nafanua II – a bigger, more capable patrol boat – to enhance Samoa’s capacity to secure its ocean resources and maritime domain.
  3. Ridzwan Rahmat (2019-08-16). "Australia hands over Guardian-class patrol vessel to Samoa". Jane's Navy International. Singapore. Retrieved 2019-08-16. Nafanua II will be operated by the Police Maritime Wing of the Samoan Police Service. The vessel is part of the Australian government’s Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement (SEA 3036) programme, which will see the donation of 21 new patrol vessels to 12 Pacific Island countries, and Timor-Leste.
  4. "Samoa police patrol boat may be armed". Radio New Zealand. 2019-04-02. Archived from the original on 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2019-04-02. The service will take delivery of a new state-of-the-art patrol boat, Nafanua II, in September and the Police Commissioner Fuiavailili Egon Keil wants to keep an eye on how the future shapes up with their surveillance work.
  5. "Samoa Police farewell 30-year-old patrol boat from Australia". Radio New Zealand. 2019-06-13. Retrieved 2019-08-16. The new patrol boat, Nafanua II, will for the first time include three women sailors.
  6. "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.
  7. "Samoa Receives Guardian Class Patrol Boat Nafanua II". Samoa Global News. 2019-08-17. Retrieved 2019-08-17. The Government of Australia handed over the newest Guardian-class Patrol Boat Nafanua II to the Samoan Government at a ceremony in Henderson, Western Australia yesterday.
  8. "New patrol boat arrives in Samoa". Radio New Zealand. 2019-10-07. Retrieved 2019-10-07. The $US30 million guardian class boat arrived at Matautu wharf on Friday.
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