Australia to provide Samoa with new patrol boat

The Australian government will provide Samoa with a new patrol boat, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed during her recent visit to the island nation earlier this week.

Ms Wong said during a meeting with Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa that the new boat will allow Samoa to protect its waters and respond to threats such as transnational crime and illegal fishing.

The vessel to be donated will be a Guardian-class patrol boat built by Austal Australia. It will replace Nafanua II, an earlier Samoa Police-operated Guardian-class boat that became damaged beyond economical repair following a grounding incident on August 5, 2021.

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