Faults Found in Australian Naval Patrol Boats Gifted to Pacific Nations

The 15th Guardian-class Patrol Boat manufactured by shipbuilder Austal and delivered to the Australian Department of Defence, which was then gifted to the Cook Islands government and named the "Te Kukupa II." Courtesy of Austal Australia

A hiccup has emerged in Australia’s relationship-building efforts in the Pacific after technical defects were discovered in a fleet of Guardian-class patrol boats delivered to island nations under the Pacific Maritime Security Program.

The $2.1 billion Program (US$1.45 billion), part of the wider Pacific Step-up initiative, promised the delivery of 22 patrol vessels to Pacific island governments.