Australia gifts Guardian-class patrol vessel to Fiji
The Royal Australian Navy gifted a newly built patrol boat to the government of Fiji on 6 March, in a ceremony at shipbuilder Austal’s Henderson shipyard.
RFNS Savenaca is the sixth Guardian-class built by Austal, and the first to be delivered to a Pacific island nation on behalf of the Australian government.
Austal CEO David Singleton said: ‘the Pacific Boat Replacement Project [PPB-R] has really hit its stride, with this sixth Guardian-class Patrol Boat benefiting from a number of innovative production processes that have reduced production time, while maintaining quality.’
The A$335 million ($222.5m) PPB-R contract was awarded to Austal in May 2016, covering construction of 21 vessels. The boats are destined for delivery to the following Pacific Island nations: Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
You may also like
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Last Astute-class submarine renamed HMS Achilles]()
Last Astute-class submarine renamed HMS Achilles
The submarine was due to be named HMS Agincourt, but will now follow HMS Agamemnon's lead, being named after a warrior from the Iliad.
-
![Rolls-Royce seals £9 billion deal with UK government on submarine support]()
Rolls-Royce seals £9 billion deal with UK government on submarine support
The deal will boost the government’s ‘Plan for Change’ and deliver on its nuclear triple-lock commitment.
-
![Chinese Navy commissions first Type 054B frigate]()
Chinese Navy commissions first Type 054B frigate
The commissioning comes just two years after the modules for the hull were first seen – and the US is watching.
-
![Russian spy ship Yantar monitored in English Channel]()
Russian spy ship Yantar monitored in English Channel
The vessel returned just months after loitering over UK critical undersea infrastructure.
-
![US shipbuilding struggles to keep pace with China]()
US shipbuilding struggles to keep pace with China
The small production capacity of US shipyards has generated multiple delays in US Navy programmes.
-
![Hanwha gains cybersecurity Type Approval from ABS]()
Hanwha gains cybersecurity Type Approval from ABS
The company is the first based in Asia to achieve certification from the American Bureau of Shipping.
