To demonstrate support for Pacific island nations, Australia has provided 15 Guardian-class patrol boats to Pacific island countries since 2018.
However, according to the British "Guardian" revealed on June 30, the patrol boat donated by Australia has been malfunctioning continuously and may be deactivated, making Australia, which is bent on pulling the Pacific island countries into embarrassment.
Screenshot of the Guardian report
According to the British "Guardian" newspaper, since 2018, under the "Pacific Maritime Security Plan", Australia has provided 15 "Guardian" class patrol boats to Pacific island countries, and the countries that have received it include Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Palau and Kiribati. The Solomon Islands also received two ships.
The Australian government originally planned to spend $2.1 billion (about 14 billion yuan) to provide 22 Guardian-class patrol boats to Pacific island countries under the Pacific Maritime Security Program to assist them in naval operations and maritime surveillance missions.
The Guardian-class patrol boats are nearly 40 meters long and are used to prevent illegal fishing and conduct search and rescue operations.
"Guardian" class patrol boat picture from the "Naval News"
However, the patrol boats have been malfunctioning since their delivery. In February 2021, the patrol boat's engine and transmission cracked, and the Pacific island nation was informed of the problem.
In early May 2022, the patrol boat was again found to be using circulating air instead of fresh air in the medical cabin. In mid-May, the most vexing problems emerged. Due to a malfunction in the exhaust system, carbon monoxide leaked into one of the compartments inside the ship. While the compartment is usually unaffiliated, the problem can still pose a health risk.
These two issues have been around the time of the recent Australian campaign but have only now been publicly disclosed.
In a statement released on July 1, the Australian Ministry of Defence said it had "recently informed the government of an issue affecting these vessels" involving "a potential failure of the exhaust system". A remedial plan has been put in place for other problems that have arisen in the past 16 months, the statement said.
Australia's Defense Ministry said that whether to continue to use these patrol boats is up to the Pacific island countries to decide. The patrol boats that have been delivered are the property of individual Pacific island nations, so each country will "choose in its sole discretion whether to continue operating its vessels or suspend operations," the statement said.
"Australian shipbuilding company Austal and representatives of the Ministry of Defence will travel to the Pacific island countries in the near future to assess all ships and work with the Pacific island countries to develop interim responses before formulating a long-term solution." The statement said.
A spokesman for the Australian shipbuilding company Austal also said on the 1st that the company is "working with the Australian Ministry of Defence to develop temporary rectification measures and long-term solutions to emerging problems in the exhaust system."
Australian Ministry of Defence statement.
This is a heavy blow to the Australian government's $2.1 billion Pacific Maritime Security Program. There are still seven patrol boats that have not yet been delivered, one each in Papua New Guinea, Micronesia, Fiji, the Marshall Islands and Samoa, and two in Timor-Leste, which was also overshadowed by Foreign Minister Huang Yingxian's announcement during his visit to Samoa in early June that he would provide another Guardian-class patrol boat.
According to the Guardian, some Pacific countries may suspend the use of patrol boats provided by Australia.
Australia's recent efforts to build good relations with Pacific island nations have embarrassed relations between the two sides. Under pressure, the Australian government chose to put all the responsibility on the previous Morrison government.
Australia's defence industry, international development and Pacific affairs minister Pat Conroy told the Guardian that the issues were "the latest example of the former Liberal government only announcing but not implementing".
"We understand how important these vessels are to Australia and our partners in the Pacific." "The safety of our Pacific partners is paramount, and we are committed to working together to solve all challenges to ensure the safety and operation of these ships," Conroy said. ”
Conroy used this to denounce the previous administration, saying that former Defense Secretary Peter Dutton "talked a lot about national security, but left another mess in terms of defense capabilities for the new government to clean up."
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