Australia to provide Samoa with new patrol boat

Australia to provide Samoa with new patrol boat

EMERGENCY SERVICES WEEK
Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong during the latter's first official visit to Samoa, June 2, 2022 (Photo: Official Facebook page of Senator Penny Wong)

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.

Click here for more news stories, feature articles, and vessel reviews as part of this month’s focus on emergency services vessels.


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