Savea completed

Half-life refit of Savea completed

A Ceremony

was held on August 6 at the

Port Macquarie

Slipways to mark the successful completion of the half-life refit of the Tongan Pacific Patrol Boat VOEA Savea and its return to Tonga.

The Savea is one of 22 boats built in Australia between 1987 and 1997 as part of the Pacific Patrol Boat project which is Australia’s largest and most successful Defence cooperation project.

The boats were provided to 12 Pacific Forum countries under Australia’s Defence Cooperation program.

This is to enable Forum countries to manage and police the resources within their extensive Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs), as well as undertake sov ereignty protection, search and rescue and disaster relief tasks. The Forum member countries cover a wide range of aquatic territory. The Savea is the 13th of the 22 boats to undergo a half-life refit

that includes ultrasound and x-ray exami nation of the boat before any structural repairs are done, upgrading essential equipment such as the radar, internal and external repainting and a complete over haul of the engines and machinery.

“The half-life refit is particularly important as it ensures the boats are main tained in peak condition to enable Pacific nations to continue to carry out the impor tant task of protecting their 200 mile exclusive economic zones and their fish ing resources,” Lieutenant Commander Tony Deacon, Director of the project said.

“The project’s success has been based on Australia’s ability to provide not just the boats but training for the crews, the

half-life refits and through-life logistic and technical support through the Follow-On Sup port Agency,” LCDR Deacon said.

“Although the project is fund ed by the International Policy Division under the Defence Cooperation Program, the

boats are owned by each Pacific nation who operate and maintain them using their own crews.”

“Senior members of the Tongan crew have also been working on their boat

along with the Port Macquarie Slipway

crew during the three-month refit process,” LCDR Deacon said.

“This has been a very positive experi ence for everyone involved and especial ly for the local Port Macquarie commu nity.” The Savea will return to Tonga with its own crew after the refit is com pleted. The refits are carried out in build order and the Lomor from the Marshall Islands will be the 14th boat to undergo a refit starting this month. ■