Pacific patrol boat accident linked to Trinity Inlet vessel arrival

An unusual patrol boat arrival into Trinity Inlet on the deck of an ocean-going barge has been linked to a Pacific maritime accident in August.

AN unusual patrol boat arrival into Trinity Inlet on the deck of an ocean-going barge has been linked to a Pacific maritime accident.

The Guardian-class patrol boat, the Nafanua II has been brought into Cairns for repairs after it ran aground and sustained serious damage at a reef off the most western of the Samoan group, Savai’i Island.

Brisbane-based company Pacific Tugs was engaged by the Australian government to salvage the craft and tow it to a Cairns shipyard.

On Wednesday afternoon a barge loaded with the Nafanua II and towed by the tug PT Monto made its way up Trinity Inlet ahead of a damage assessment and repair.

Business development manager at Tropical Reef Shipyard Andrew Wagner confirmed the ship had arrived in Cairns but was limited in what he could say.

“We will be working on it and it will go to the Austal yard but it’s in quarantine at the moment,” he said.

Donated by the Australian Government through the $2 billion Pacific Maritime Security Program, the 40m vessel was built in 2019 and is the Pacific nation’s only patrol boat.

It’s unclear what caused the accident but there is an investigation into the grounding of the vessel.

“It plays such a significant role not only for Samoa but the joint missions in the region,” Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa said.

“Cabinet determined to have a formal commission of inquiry, so I can’t give you an answer apart from human error, which seems to be the current situation,”

The chief executive officer of the Ministry of Prime Minister and Cabinet Agafili Shem told Samoan media that the government would wait for an assessment of the damage.

The US Coast Guard has stepped in to assist Samoa’s border patrol by deploying the Cutter Oliver Berry to the region while the Nafanua II is out of action.

An Australian Defence spokesman said the ship was currently “visiting” Cairns.

“Australia values its security partnership with Samoa and we are committed to supporting our partner to maintain a secure, free and open Pacific,” the spokesman said

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Originally published as Pacific patrol boat accident linked to Trinity Inlet vessel arrival