HMPNGS Gilbert Toropo
HMPNGS Gilbert Toropo (P404) is the 17th Guardian class patrol vessel Australia completed to give to its neighbours in the Pacific Forum.[1] She is the fourth of four Guardian class vessels Australia provided to Papua New Guinea, replacing four Pacific Forum patrol vessels provided in the early 1990s. The Guardian class vessels are slightly larger, and more capable than the earlier vessels.[2]
VIPs from Australia and Papua New Guinea attended the handover ceremony, in Henderson, Australia, on October 4, 2023, including Matt Keogh and Win Bakri Daki, the Ministers of Defense for the two countries.[1]
Background
[edit | edit source]Following the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea extension of maritime nations' exclusive economic zones to 200 kilometres (108 nmi) Australia agreed to provide twelve of its neighbours with twenty-two Pacific Forum-class patrol vessels, so they could exercise sovereignty over their own territory, using their own resources.[3] The first vessel was delivered in 1987, and in 2015 Australia announced plans to replace the original patrol boats with larger and more capable vessels.
Design
[edit | edit source]Australian ship builder Austal won the $335 million Australian dollar contract for the project, and built the vessels at its Henderson shipyard, near Perth.[4] Guardian class vessels were designed to use commercial off-the-shelf components, not cutting edge, military grade equipment, to make them easier to maintain in small isolated shipyards.
The vessels are 39.5 metres (130 ft) long, can travel 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km) at 12 knots.[4] Their maximum speed is 20 knots.[5] Their design allows the recipient nations to mount a pair of heavy machine guns, on either flank, and possibly an autocannon of up to 30mm, on the foredeck.
Operational career
[edit | edit source]The vessel was commissioned on June 24, 2024.[6]
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1
"Austal Australia delivers 17th Guardian-class Patrol Boat". Austal. 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
The ceremony was attended by Australia’s Minister for Defence Personnel and Minister for Veterans Affairs, The Hon. Matt Keogh MP, and Papua New Guinea Minister for Defence, The Hon. Win Bakri Daki MP.
- ↑
"PAPUA NEW GUINEA (PNG)" (PDF). Australian government. 2014-04-03. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
Help develop the PNGDF’s capacity to secure its borders, contribute to United Nations (UN) and multilateral peacekeeping missions, and cooperate with the ADF in areas such as disaster relief.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1
Hamish Hastie (2018-05-30). "Wrapped up with a bow: First Pacific patrol boat hits the water". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
The $335 million Pacific patrol boat program was awarded to Austal in 2016 and will see 21 'Guardian Class' boats built in WA and gifted to 12 Pacific Island countries and East Timor as part of the Pacific maritime security program.
- ↑
Gabriel Dominguez (2018-12-03). "Papua New Guinea receives first Guardian-class patrol boat". Jane's Defence Weekly. London. Archived from the original on 2018-12-03. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
The steel-hulled boat was built with space and weight considerations for a 30 mm naval gun as a primary weapon, as well as port and starboard mounts for 12.7 mm general-purpose machine guns.
- ↑ Antoniette Poivi (2024-06-24). "New patrol boat commissioned". The National. Retrieved 2026-02-01.