VOEA Savea’s final voyage from Tonga [1]
Tuesday, April 16, 2019 - 16:26
The VOEA Savea departed Masefield Navy Base for the last time on Saturday, April 13, sailing past the Nuku’alofa waterfront and Royal Palace on its way to Australia.
The navy ship will be replaced by a new patrol boat named VOEA Ngahau Koula (Golden Arrow), which is currently being built in Australia.
The Ngahau Koula is the first of two new patrol boats that will be gifted to His Majesty’s Armed Forces under Australia’s Pacific Maritime Security Program, a $2 billion step-up to the Pacific, with an emphasis on a new era of partnership with countries like Tonga.
The crew sailing VOEA Savea to Australia will undergo further training in Western Australia on the new vessel, before sailing its maiden voyage back to Tonga in August.
The second replacement patrol boat will be sent to Tonga in late 2020.
The new patrol boats are much larger with improved range, endurance and communication capabilities, and are better suited to conduct maritime fisheries enforcement and boarding operations.