A new patrol boat was recently handed over to the Maldivian Coast Guard, the maritime arm under the Maldives National Defence Force.
The vessel is the 24th and final Guardian-class patrol boat to be built under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement (PPBR) project of the Australian Department of Defence. Construction of the Guardian-class patrol boats was undertaken by Australian naval shipbuilder Austal.
The vessel has an LOA of 39.5 metres, a beam of eight metres, a draught of 2.5 metres at full load, and space for 23 crewmembers.
One noteworthy aspect of the Guardian-class boats is the significant use of commercial off the shelf components in their construction, particularly the onboard electronics and navigation equipment. This allows for ease of maintenance and operation by Pacific island defence and law enforcement agencies included in the PPBR project.
The vessel is powered by two Caterpillar 3516C main diesel engines that each produce 2,000 kW at 1,600 rpm. The engines drive two fixed-pitch propellers to deliver a speed of 20 knots at 100 per cent MCR and a range of 3,000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 12 knots.
The vessel will be able to conduct maritime sovereignty patrols for extended periods offshore as well as secondary missions that include search and rescue and anti-illegal fishing operations.
