The Tongan Maritime Force recently commissioned its new landing craft into service.
VOEA Late was handed over by the Australian Department of Defence to help enhance Tonga’s humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities. The vessel is also intended to improve the nation’s ability to deter, detect, and disrupt illegal maritime activities in the region.
The landing craft has all-steel construction, an LOA of 30 metres, a beam of eight metres, a hull draught of only 1.3 metres, a depth of 3.3 metres, a crew of six, and a maximum cargo capacity of 60 tonnes.
Two Caterpillar C12 engines that each produce 339 kW at 2,100 rpm drive two fixed-pitch propellers to deliver a maximum speed of eight knots and a service speed of six knots.
The landing craft was provided to Tonga as part of the Pacific Maritime Security Program, the Australian Government’s 30-year commitment to enhancing national and regional maritime security throughout the Pacific.