Maldivian Coast Guard welcomes new patrol boat to fleet

A new patrol boat was recently handed over to the Maldivian Coast Guard, the maritime arm under the Maldives National Defence Force.

The vessel is the 24th and final Guardian-class patrol boat to be built under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement (PPBR) project of the Australian Department of Defence. Construction of the Guardian-class patrol boats was undertaken by Australian naval shipbuilder Austal.

The vessel has an LOA of 39.5 metres, a beam of eight metres, a draught of 2.5 metres at full load, and space for 23 crewmembers.