Papua New Guinea has received the new Guardian class patrol boat. The Royal Australian Navy announced the delivery on February 1st.
Boat named as HMPNGS Ted Diro (401). The platform was delivered with a ceremony in Port Moresby. A total of 21 boats built under the Sea 3036 Program will be constructed. These platforms will be donated to Timor Leste and 12 island states to increase cooperation in maritime security in the South Pacific.
The boat, which was launched in May last year, is 39.5 meters long. Platform’s beam is 8 metres and was built from steel. The platform can reach up to 20 knots and has slots for 30 mm main gun and 12.7 mm machine guns. One of the platforms to replace the boats that were donated to the same countries in 1987 and 1997, will be delivered to Tuvalu in April 2019. The last boat to be built under the program is scheduled to be delivered to East Timor in October 2023.
