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A new patrol boat will be gifted to the Pacific Islands nation to replace a vessel which crashed into a reef in August last year.
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During a joint press conference with Samoa Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mata'afa in Apia on Thursday (2 June), Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced the Commonwealth government would deliver a new Austal-built Guardian Class patrol boat to Samoa.
The vessel is set to be delivered next year, replacing Nafanua II, the first Guardian Class patrol boat delivered to Samoa, which is beyond repair after crashing into a reef in August 2021.
Prime Minister Mata'afa welcomed the announcement, noting the importance of the capability in support of Samoa’s maritime patrol operations.
“Our government is very appreciative of this further development in our partnership with Australia,” she said.
“I think it's very generous on the part of the Australian government and people that they are gifting as yet another patrol boat, despite the unfortunate circumstances of our last boat.
“[I] hope that the lessons learned from that unfortunate appearance will help us ensure that we can keep these assets that are generously gifted by our partners and especially in a very critical area of our maritime security.”
Minister Wong’s announcement comes just a week after Defence gifted the 15th Guardian Class patrol boat, named Te Kukupa II, to the Cook Islands at a handover ceremony.
The new Guardian Class vessel replaces the original Te Kukupa, a Pacific Class patrol boat gifted to the Cook Islands in 1989.
The original vessel was recently decommissioned as part of the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project under the Australian government’s Pacific Maritime Security Program.
The new boat is the second of five Guardian Class vessels to be delivered by Austal to Australia in 2022.
As part of its $335 million contract for the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project, awarded in 2016, Austal has been tasked with delivering a total of 21 vessels.
Thus far, 13 Pacific Islands nations have accepted Guardian Class boats into service, including Papua New Guinea, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Palau, Samoa, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Timor-Leste.
The program forms part of the Commonwealth government’s broader push to strengthen partnerships with South Pacific nations, particularly amid China’s growing influence in the region.
Most recently, China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi proposed the “China-Pacific Island Countries Common Development Vision”, which offers intermediate and high-level police training for Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, the Cook Islands, Niue, Vanuatu, and the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM).
This was accompanied by a five-year action plan, which calls for ministerial dialogue on law enforcement capacity and police cooperation.
This included the provision of forensic laboratories, cooperation on data networks, cyber security, and smart customs systems.
The plan also advocated for a “balanced approach” on technological progress, economic development and national security – backing a China-Pacific Islands Free Trade Area and joint action on climate change and health.
However, Beijing has reportedly withdrawn its proposal after it was met with resistance from some Pacific Islands leaders.
President of the FSM David Panuelo condemned the deal, with Reuters reporting other nations, including Niue, requested an amendment or a delay to the decision.
[Related: Defence gifts Guardian Class patrol boat to Cook Islands ]
