The Australian Department of Defence (DOD) has taken delivery of a new Guardian-class patrol boat from Austal Australia.
The steel-hulled vessel was then handed over to the Solomon Islands government. It will be operated by the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force.
The 39.5-metre boat has been christened RSIPV Taro after Taro Island in the far northwestern Solomons.
Taro is the tenth Guardian-class boat to be built by Austal under the Australian government's Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Program. A planned total of 21 vessels will be built through to 2023 for use by 12 Pacific Island nations.
The 21 Guardian-class boats are being built under a AU$335 million (US$258 million) contract.
