TSAMTO, October 15. The command of the naval component of the Armed Forces of Papua New Guinea has adopted the second Guardian-class patrol boat, transferred by the Australian Ministry of Defense.
As the Australian Navy Command announced on October 13 on its Facebook page, the adopted Rohus Lokinap is the second of four Guardian-class patrol boats to be delivered to Papua New Guinea as part of the PPBR (Pacific Patrol Boats Replacement) patrol boat replacement project implemented by the Australian Government of the Pacific island States. The first boat, the 401 Ted Diro, was handed over to the Government of Papua New Guinea in December 2018. "Rochus Lokinap" was delivered in March 2021.
In June 2021, the Australian Ministry of Defense announced that it had agreed to a request from Papua New Guinea to equip all four boats with unnamed weapons. The boats will be used for border patrol, maritime security, search and rescue operations, etc.
As reported by TSAMTO, in May 2016, the Australian government signed a basic contract with Austal for the supply of 19 Guardian patrol boats as part of the PMSP (Pacific Maritime Security Program) maritime Security program in the Pacific region. The cost of the agreement amounted to 305 million AUSTR. dollars. The contract included an option to supply two additional boats, which was implemented in April 2018. Thus, the total number of boats to be built by Austal has increased to 21 units, and the cost of the project - up to 335 million Austr. dollars.
The boats are planned to be handed over to the Governments of 12 island States, including Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Palau, Samoa, East Timor and Vanuatu.
At the moment, 12 boats have been transferred. According to the schedule, the program will end with the delivery of boats to East Timor in the second half of 2023.
The new steel 39.5-meter boats will replace the "Pacific Patrol Ships" previously delivered to the island states of the Pacific region, whose service life is nearing completion. They will allow these countries to independently control their exclusive economic zone, ensure maritime security and protect marine resources.
