Tuvalu receives Guardian-class patrol boat
The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) has handed over a Guardian-class patrol boat, Te Mataili II, to Tuvalu under Australia’s Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement project.
The boat is the second of 21 Guardian-class patrol boats that will be gifted to 12 Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste.
The vessel will support the government of Tuvalu’s ability to carry out maritime surveillance and law enforcement operations.
The Guardian-class patrol boats are being built by Austal. The Australian Department of Defence gifted the first Guardian-class patrol boat to Papua New Guinea on 30 November 2018. The last vessel will be gifted to Timor-Leste in October 2023.
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