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Home > King Tupou VI commissions VOEA Late

King Tupou VI commissions VOEA Late [1]

Nuku'alofa, Tonga

Friday, October 23, 2015 - 20:05

Photos by Pesi Fonua.

Guests on board the newly commissioned VOEA Late. Nuku‘alofa. 23 October 2015

HM King Tupou VI commissioned the VOEA Late, a 30.4m long landing craft at the Masefield Naval Base at Touliki this morning, 23 October.

The $8m (AUD) landing craft with beach landing capability will enable His Majesty’s Armed Forces (HMAF) to transfer troops, building material and  emergency supplies.

Rear Admiral Mark Purcell, of the Australian Defence Force, said at the commissioning ceremony that the new landing craft is one of the “most significance outcomes of our defence cooperation in recent times.”

He said that Australia remain committed to a Bilateral Defence Treaty between Australia and the Kingdom of Tonga.

The landing craft will be incorporated into the existing Pacific Patrol Boats scheme that has been in operation for about 20 years.

Rear Admiral Purcell announced that a program to replace the Pacific Patrol Boats program is actively underway in Australia, and new Patrol Boats for Tonga would be delivered within five years.

HM King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau’u, with Princess Pilolevu, Princess Sinaitakala and Prince Manumataongo, and guests, including the Prime Minister, Hon. ‘Akilisi Pohiva, boarded the VOEA Late and cruised along the Nuku’alofa waterfront.

King Tupou VI with members of the Australian Defence Forces and HMAF at Touliki. 23 October 2015
Tonga [2]
VOEA Late [3]
HM Tupou VI [4]
Touliki Naval Base [5]
His Majesty's Armed Forces [6]
Masefield Naval Base [7]
Defence [8]

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Source URL:https://matangitonga.to/2015/10/23/king-tupou-vi-commissions-voea-late

Links
[1] https://matangitonga.to/2015/10/23/king-tupou-vi-commissions-voea-late [2] https://matangitonga.to/tag/tonga?page=1 [3] https://matangitonga.to/tag/voea-late?page=1 [4] https://matangitonga.to/tag/hm-tupou-vi?page=1 [5] https://matangitonga.to/tag/touliki-naval-base?page=1 [6] https://matangitonga.to/tag/his-majestys-armed-forces?page=1 [7] https://matangitonga.to/tag/masefield-naval-base?page=1 [8] https://matangitonga.to/topic/defence?page=1