Another Guardian-class patrol boat has entered service in the South Pacific.
Papua New Guinea commissioned its second 39.5m-long Guardian-class patrol boat on 7 October.
Christened HMPNGS Rochus Lokinap, the steel-hulled vessel was inducted by the Maritime Element of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) at a ceremony at Lombrum Naval Base in Manus Province.
It follows in the wake of the first Guardian-class vessel, HMPNGS Ted Diro, commissioned in February 2019. Papua New Guinea is still awaiting two other identical ships.
These boats emanate from Australia’s Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Programme, part of Canberra’s Pacific Maritime Security Programme. This Project Sea 3036 effort is delivering 21 patrol boats to Timor-Leste and 12 Pacific Island nations.