Western Samoan patrol vessel Nafanua

Nafanua (04) is a Pacific Forum patrol vessel operated by Western Samoa's police.[1] Like her 21 sister ships she was built in Australia. After the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Seas extended maritime nations' exclusive economic zones to 200 kilometres (110 nmi) Australia agreed to give its smaller neighbours in the Pacific Forum patrol vessels of their own, so they could police their own sovereignty.[2] Nafanua is the ship Australia gave to Samoa.

For other uses, see Nafanua (disambiguation).
MV Nafanua in 2016
History
Western Samoa
NameNafanua
Launched1988
StatusDecommissioned
General characteristics
Class and typePacific Forum-class patrol boat
Displacement162 tons
Length103 ft (31 m)

Design

Nafanua, and her sister ships, were designed to use commercial off-the-shelf components, not cutting edge, military-grade equipment, so that they would be easier to maintain in small, isolated shipyards.[1]

Operational history

In 2008 Ombudsman Maiava Iulai Toma chaired a commission of inquiry into the smuggling of weapons from American Samoa aboard the Nafanua.[3] The inquiry found police commissioner Papalii Lorenese Neru and the Nafanua's captain in breach of duty and recommended a criminal investigation, but the latter recommendation was ignored by the government.[4][5]

In September 2014 Nafanua rescued four fishermen from American Samoa, whose vessel had broken down, who were found adrift 185 miles south of Apia.[6]

In October 2014 the government agreed for Nafanua to patrol neighbouring Cook Islands's waters, because their patrol vessel, Te Kukupa, was undergoing a major refit in Australia.[6]

Royal Australian Navy sailors visited Nafanua in June 2018 to provide technical assistance.[7]

Nafanua began its final journey to Australia, to be recycled, on 13 June 2019.[8] Her crew will be trained to use her Guardian-class replacement, Nafanua II.

Replacement

Australia started building a class of replacements for the original Pacific Forum patrol vessels, in 2017.[9] Nafanua's replacement will be named Nafanua II.

References
  1. Linda McCann (August 2013). "The Future of Australia's Pacific Patrol Boat Program: the Pacific Maritime Security Program" (PDF). Shedden Papers. The Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies: 21–22. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 February 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  2. Dave Morley (3 December 2015). "Lifelines across Pacific" (PDF). Navy News. Vol. 58, no. 23. p. 8. Retrieved 12 August 2018. The program involves 22 Australian-gifted patrol boats to 12 Pacific island countries, the majority of which are operated by police services.
  3. "Samoa probe into gun smuggling to open". RNZ. 15 October 2008. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  4. "Two senior Samoa police officers escape criminal charges over gun smuggling". RNZ. 31 January 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  5. "Criticism of decision in Samoa not to charge Police Commissionor". Radio New Zealand. 2 February 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  6. "News from Cabinet, 10 October 2014". Government of Western Samoa. 10 October 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2018. Cabinet approved the return home, to American Samoa, of four crew members who were rescued by the Police patrol boat Nafanua on 21st September 2014.
  7. Sarah West (22 June 2018). "Ship bolsters crucial partnerships during 'Success'ful' visit to Samoa". Navy Daily. Retrieved 12 August 2018. Sailors from the ship's Electrical and Marine Technical departments volunteered to help their friends in the Samoa Police Service Maritime Wing conduct vital maintenance work on the Pacific Patrol Boat SPB Nafanua, complementing the assistance already provided through the Defence Cooperation Program (DCP).
  8. "Samoa Police farewell 30-year-old patrol boat from Australia". Radio New Zealand. 13 June 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019. Samoa's MV Nafanua police patrol boat, which was gifted by Australia under its Pacific defence programme, has begun its journey back to Australia.
  9. Adel Fruean (28 January 2019). "New patrol boat to boost maritime security". Samoan Observer. Retrieved 5 February 2019. Under the Pacific Maritime Security Programme, Samoa will this year receive the Nafanua II – a bigger, more capable patrol boat – to enhance Samoa's capacity to secure its ocean resources and maritime domain.
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