Wikipedia

HMPNGS Seeadler

For other uses, see Seeadler.

HMPNGS Seeadler (P03) is one of four Pacific Forum patrol vessels operated by the Papua New-Guinea Defence Force.[1][2]

HMPNGS Seeadler
History
Papua New Guinea
NameSeeadler
OperatorPapua New-Guinea Defence Force
Launched1988
Decommissioned18 April 2021
Identification
StatusShip in active service
General characteristics
Class and typePacific Forum-class patrol boat
Displacement162 tons
Length103 feet (31 m)

Australia designed and delivered twenty-two Pacific Forum vessels to twelve of her maritime neighbours, between 1987 and 1997. Australia provided these vessels to Papua New-Guinea, and eleven other of its Pacific Ocean neighbours so they could police their exclusive economic zones, because that improves its own security.[3] The Royal Australian Navy regularly participates in joint exercises with their Papuan New-Guinea opposite numbers.[1][2]

The duties of Seeadler, and her sister ships, include fishery patrol.[4]

In 2013 The Australian described Papua New Guinea's fleet of Pacific Forum vessels as "a neglected component of the PNGDF"—one rarely visited by Australian liaison officers.[5]

In 2014 James Movick, Director-General of the Forum Fisheries Agency, noted that five of the six boarding operations executed by Seeadler during the 2014 iteration of Operation Kurukuru, found potential infringements of the Pacific Forum's fisheries agreements.[6] He called Seeadler's performance "outstanding". In 2014 EMTV reported that vessels like Seeadler were rarely able to put to sea, due to shortages of fuel, and maintenance issues.[7] Seeadler crew members described her as too small for high seas.

On 23 December 2016 Seeadler was on a joint operation with elements of the Australian Maritime Border Command when she fired upon a Vietnamese fishing vessel that had been poaching sea cucumbers.[8] According to The National Seeadler fired "explosive bullets" at one of three poaching vessels, which then exploded, killing her captain, sinking the vessel, and inflicting serious burns on other crew members. The incident took place near Milne Bay.

Papua New Guinea is scheduled to start replacing her Pacific Forum ships, with larger and more capable Guardian-class patrol boats, starting in late 2018.[7]

On 18 April 2021 Papua New-Guinea Defence Force decommissioned its last three ships of the class, including Seeadler.[9]

Sister ships

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References

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  1. ^ a b Jayson Tufrey, Nicholas Robinson (2016-08-06). "Manoeuvres reaffirm links with neighbours" (PDF). Australian Navy. Retrieved 2018-01-21. Her Majesty's Papua New Guinean ships Seeadler and Moresby are Pacific-class patrol boats based at PNG's naval base on Manus Island. They conducted officer-of-the-watch manoeuvres (OOWMANS), engineering casualty control drills (ECCDS), man overboard exercises (MOBEX) and gunnery serials with the Australian warships.
  2. ^ a b "Australian Navy completes Papua New Guinea maritime exercise". Interconnect Systems. Retrieved 2018-01-21. "During PARADISE, we exercised with Pacific-class patrol boat HMPNGS Seeadler and landing craft heavy HMPNGS Salamaua. The interaction enhanced our seamanship, communication and mariner skills as well as our ability to work with our small boat colleagues," Mr Kerrisk explained.
  3. ^ Dave Morley (2015-12-03). "Lifelines across Pacific" (PDF). Navy News. Vol. 58, no. 23. p. 8. Retrieved 2018-08-12. The program involves 22 Australian-gifted patrol boats to 12 Pacific island countries, the majority of which are operated by police services.
  4. ^ "Papua New Guinea Inspection Vessels for WCPFC Boarding and Inspection Activities" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-01-21.
  5. ^ Sam Bateman, Anthony Bergin (2013-07-29). "Manus military history of merit". The Australian. Retrieved 2018-01-21.
  6. ^ "Record 12 vessels under investigation as FFA's Operation Kurukuru 2014 ends". Forum Fisheries Agency. Honiara. 2014-10-24. Retrieved 2018-01-21. The FFA Director General also commended the "outstanding" activity of Papua New Guinea's patrol boat the HMPNGS SEEADLER, another success story of Kurukuru 2014. Five of its six boardings resulted in discovery of potential infringements. The active participation of PNG is a major outcome for the current operation, linked to an earlier one-month attachment to FFA's Regional Fisheries Surveillance Centre by PNG Leading Seaman Riwas Israel Pala of the National Surveillance Coordination Centre based in Port Moresby.
  7. ^ a b "PNGDF Navy: 40 years on & in need of funding, upgrade, equipment & manpower". EMTV. 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2018-01-21. The navy's explosive ordinance disposal unit also require urgent attention; so as the crew onboard HMPNGS Seeadler who expressed their concerns on their incapacity to operate on high seas. They said that in order to effectively carryout sea surveillance they needed a much bigger vessel and with only 20 personnel onboard per ship, manpower shortage is a growing concern.
  8. ^ Clifford Faiparik (2017-01-04). "Ship skipper dies in clash". The National. Retrieved 2018-07-10. The captain of a Vietnamese fishing vessel was allegedly killed and a crew member sustained injuries after PNG Defence Force patrol boat fired at the vessel for illegally harvesting beche de mers (sea cucumbers) in Milne Bay waters, police say.
  9. ^ "Vessels decommissioned". The National. 2021-04-19. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
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