From Ambassador (the Nafanua III
2025/12/23
The Story of the Nafanua III
The grey-hulled vessel shown in the photo. At first glance, it's neither a fishing boat nor a commercial cargo ship. I recall my initial thought when I first saw it in Apia Port was that a warship from New Zealand or elsewhere might be visiting.
In fact, this vessel was donated by Australia to Samoa's Maritime Police, and its name is "Nafanua III". The ship's total length is 39.5 meters.
Australia has not only provided Samoa but also other Pacific island nations with patrol boats of the same type, offering support that meets their maritime security needs. Going back to 1982, when the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea came into effect and the 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) was established as an international regime, many Pacific island nations were compelled to build capacity for managing resources within their vast EEZs and combating illegal fishing activities. In response to these requests, Australia supplied a remarkable 22 patrol boats to 12 countries and provided the necessary technical cooperation.
The "Nafanua" vessel provided to Samoa is, in fact, the third generation. The first Nafanua was a Pacific-class vessel, slightly smaller than the current Nafanua III. It was supplied to Samoa in 1988 and honorably retired in 2019 after fulfilling its duties. The Nafanua II was supplied as its replacement, but just two years after its delivery, in 2021, it ran aground in the waters near Savai'i Island. Although it was towed to an Australian port for repairs, the damage was deemed too severe to repair, leading to its decommissioning.
The current vessel was supplied again in 2023. In addition to its primary duties of maritime patrol and search and rescue, it is also utilized for transporting emergency patients from Tokelau and medical oxygen cylinders from American Samoa, among other uses.
Incidentally, the name "Nafanua" derives from a legendary female hero regarded as a goddess of war.
The grey-hulled vessel shown in the photo. At first glance, it's neither a fishing boat nor a commercial cargo ship. I recall my initial thought when I first saw it in Apia Port was that a warship from New Zealand or elsewhere might be visiting.
In fact, this vessel was donated by Australia to Samoa's Maritime Police, and its name is "Nafanua III". The ship's total length is 39.5 meters.
Australia has not only provided Samoa but also other Pacific island nations with patrol boats of the same type, offering support that meets their maritime security needs. Going back to 1982, when the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea came into effect and the 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) was established as an international regime, many Pacific island nations were compelled to build capacity for managing resources within their vast EEZs and combating illegal fishing activities. In response to these requests, Australia supplied a remarkable 22 patrol boats to 12 countries and provided the necessary technical cooperation.
The "Nafanua" vessel provided to Samoa is, in fact, the third generation. The first Nafanua was a Pacific-class vessel, slightly smaller than the current Nafanua III. It was supplied to Samoa in 1988 and honorably retired in 2019 after fulfilling its duties. The Nafanua II was supplied as its replacement, but just two years after its delivery, in 2021, it ran aground in the waters near Savai'i Island. Although it was towed to an Australian port for repairs, the damage was deemed too severe to repair, leading to its decommissioning.
The current vessel was supplied again in 2023. In addition to its primary duties of maritime patrol and search and rescue, it is also utilized for transporting emergency patients from Tokelau and medical oxygen cylinders from American Samoa, among other uses.
Incidentally, the name "Nafanua" derives from a legendary female hero regarded as a goddess of war.