Austal Australia delivered a new Guardian-class patrol boat to the Australian Department of Defence on Friday, July 12. RKS Tobwaan Mainiku, which is also the twentieth in the Guardian-class, was then handed over to the government of Kiribati for operation by the Kiribati Police Service.
The delivery of Tobwaan Mainiku is the latest under the Australian government's Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project, which was awarded to Austal Australia in May 2016. Subsequent contract options were awarded in April 2018, November 2022, and June 2024, taking the project to 24 vessels, valued at more than AU$400 million (US$270 million) in total.
The 39.5 metre Guardian-class steel monohull patrol boat is based on a proven design platform that has included the 38-metre Bay-class, the 56-metre Armidale-class, and the 58-metre Evolved Cape-class patrol boats. These vessels were built by Austal for service with the Australian Border Force and the Royal Australian Navy.
The vessel is the second Guardian-class patrol boat handed over to Kiribati after the 2021-built RKS Teanoai II. Missions will include border patrols, maritime law enforcement, and search and rescue.