As it is the first to take place under COVID-19 limits, Austal Chief Executive David Singleton said this Guardian-class Patrol Boat delivery was exceptional.

Designed and constructed by Austal Australia, the 39.5-meter steel monohull patrol boat is based on a proven design model that includes the 38-meter Bay-class, 56-meter Armidale-class and 58-meter Cape-class patrol boats in service with the Australian Border Force and Royal Australian Navy.

The PSS President H.I Remeliik II is replacing his namesake predecessor, a Patrol Boat of the Pacific class which has been in service in Palau since 1996.

The Guardian-class Patrol Boat(s) provide the Palau Bureau of Maritime Security with a much improved naval asset to carry out border patrols, regional police, search and rescue and many other operations domestically and internationally, faster, with improved seakeeping, better facilities and enhanced mission capability – including an integrated stern launch and recovery facility.

The ships will be received by 12 Pacific Island nations, including Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Micronesia Federated States, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Palau, Samoa, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Timor Leste, by 2023.

Maritime Business World