Pacific Patrol

[Julian Gladyshev]

CorvetteRFS Sovershenny (333) rendezvoused with PLAN destroyer CNS Yinchuan (175), frigate CNS Hengshui (572) and fleet oiler CNS Weishanhu (887) in the Korea Strait near Jeju Island to begin the fourth joint Russian-Chinese maritime patrol in the Asia-Pacific region, reads a Thursday statement from the Russian Pacific Fleet.

From Thursday to Friday, the four ships sailed through the Osumi Strait to enter the Pacific Ocean. Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) destroyer escort JS Jintsu (DE-230) and JMSDF P-1 Maritime Patrol Aircrafts (MPA) of Fleet Air Wing 1 based at JMSDF Kanoya Air Base on the main island of Kyushu, shadowed the Russian and Chinese ships, the JSO said.

Sovershenny had earlier sailed southwest through the Tsushima Strait from Wednesday to Thursday. An earlier JSO release on Thursday stated that the Russian corvette had been sighted at 5 p.m. sailing southwest in an area about 45 miles northeast of Tsushima and subsequently from Wednesday to Thursday sailed southwest through the Tsushima Strait to enter the East China Sea. Fast attack craft JS Shirataka (PG-829) and JMSDF P-1 MPAs of Fleet Air Wing 1 shadowed Sovershenny, according to the release.

Japan also tracked other Russian warships in the vicinity of Japan this week, the JSO issued a release on Wednesday stating that at 7 a.m. that day, Russian Navy corvettes RFS R-298 (971) and RFS R-261 (991) were sited sailing east in an area about 30 miles northwest of Rebun Island (which lies 50km off the northwest tip of the main island of Hokkaido) and subsequently, according to the release, the two Russian corvettes sailed east through La Perouse Strait, which separates Hokkaido from the Russian island of Sakhalin, to enter the Sea of Okhotsk. The release stated that fast attack craft JS Wakataka (PG-825) and a JMSDF P-3C Orion MPA of Fleet Air Wing 2 based at JMSDF Hachinohe Air Base on the main island of Honshu, shadowed the Russian corvettes.

The Pacific class (also known as the Pacific Forum class[2] and the ASI 315 class[3]) is a class of 22 patrol boats built by Australia and donated to twelve South Pacific countries. They were constructed between 1985 and 1997 and are operated by militaries, coast guards or police forces of twelve island nations. These boats are supported by the Pacific Patrol Boat Program and used primarily for maritime surveillance and fisheries protection.

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea took effect in 1982. It introduced a 200-nautical-mile (370 km; 230 mi) exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to the territories of all nations with an ocean coastline. Several Southwest Pacific island nations found themselves responsible for policing an area of ocean that was beyond their maritime capability, and often significantly larger than their land territories (at its most extreme, the EEZ of Tuvalu dwarfs its landmass by a ratio of almost 1:28,000).[4][5] Following requests by several Pacific nations for assistance from the governments of Australia and New Zealand, the Australian government created a Defence Cooperation Project named the Pacific Patrol Boat Program to design and provide suitable patrol boats to nearby island nations. The program also provided training and infrastructure to support these ships.[5] The Program was officially announced by Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke during the South Pacific Forum meeting held in Canberra on 29 and 30 August 1983.[3]

Requests for tenders were issued in August 1984. Australian Shipbuilding Industries (ASI) designed a small vessel capable of maritime surveillance and interdiction, search and rescue operations, and fisheries protection.[3][5] A smaller prototype was constructed by ASI in 1984. The prototype was later sold to the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force and named Savo.[6] The contract for the Pacific class was awarded to ASI on 9 May 1985 and construction began in September 1985.[5] It was initially planned that ten ships would be produced for eight countries, with the first ship, HMPNGS Tarangau delivered to the Papua New Guinea Defence Force on 16 May 1987.[5] The program continued until 15 ships were ordered, then was terminated before being reopened in February 1993.[7] By the time the program concluded, 22 ships had been delivered to 12 countries, with the final ship, FSS Independence, delivered to the Federated States of Micronesia in June 1997.[5] The Pacific Patrol Boat Project is the largest and most complex defence co-operation project ever funded by Australia.[3]

Each patrol boat has a length of 31.5 metres (103 ft 4 in), a beam of 8.1 metres (26 ft 7 in), a draught of 1.8 metres (5 ft 11 in), and a full load displacement of 162 tonnes.[1] They are fitted with two Caterpillar 3516TA diesel engines, which provide 2,820 horsepower (2,100 kW) to two propeller shafts, driving the vessel at a maximum of 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph). Pacific-class vessels have a maximum range of 2,500 nautical miles (4,600 km; 2,900 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph), and can remain at sea for up to ten days.[1] Armament varies depending on the operating nation; the patrol boats may carry GAM-BO1 20 mm guns, 7.62 mm machine guns, or 12.7 mm machine guns, and these need not be permanently fitted.[1] Each ship carries a Furuno 1011 surface search radar, which operates in the I band.[1] The ship's company varies between 14 and 18, depending on the operating nation.[1] In order to reduce construction and maintenance costs, the vessels were built to commercial, as opposed to military, standards. This facilitates companies in the operating nations to be capable of providing parts and minor maintenance in mind.[3]

There were initial problems with the propellers, engine cooling systems, and air conditioning, but these were fixed before the completion of the third ship of the class.[5] The class underwent refits during each ship's seventh or eighth year of operation, and again at the fifteenth year (which was ongoing until 2012).[5] This has extended the predicted service life of the class to 2027.[5]

Four patrol boats of a slightly shortened 31-metre (102 ft) design were produced for the Kuwait Coast Guard.[8] An unarmed version of this design is also marketed to the operators of oil platforms as a crew transport.[8]

Six modified versions of the Pacific class were built for the Hong Kong Marine Police as the Protector class.[9] The main difference is the installation of a pump-jet engine to supplement the main propulsion.[8]

A single navigation training vessel, Seahorse Mercator, was built for Defence Maritime Services in 1999 which operates the ship under contract to the Royal Australian Navy.[8] Although the hull design is the same, the interior and superstructure are significantly modified.[8] The Seahorse Mercator design was used as the basis for the Royal Canadian Navy's eight Orca-class patrol vessels, although Canadian engineers modified the Orcas to the point where they only share the basic hull shape with the Australian ship.[10]

A 35-metre (115 ft), all-aluminium design based on the Pacific-class hull, the Ilocos Norte class, was created for the Philippine Coast Guard.[8] Four of these ships were delivered in December 2001, and are used as search and rescue vessels.[8] An option for a follow on order by the Philippines of ten more ships was offered,[8] but has not been used. The Ilocos Norte design was used in 2008 for the New South Wales Police Force patrol vessel Nemesis; the largest police-operated patrol boat in the Southern Hemisphere.[11]

The Pacific-class patrol boats are used primarily for maritime surveillance and fisheries protection. They are often the only surveillance capability the operating nation has access to, and their presence has often deterred foreign fishing fleets.[12] The ability to patrol the waters has provided boosts to economies through both fishing fines and improved negotiation stances when discussing foreign fishing rights and fees.[12] As part of the patrol role, the Pacifics have been used for customs inspection of ships, and have stopped some smuggling and drug-running operations.[13] Some nations charter the vessels out to other government agencies or private companies for salvage work, hydrographic surveying, or even tasks like helping to establish aquaculture farms.[13] Pacific-class patrol boats have also seen use in humanitarian roles such as search-and-rescue, towing of disabled vessels, sea safety checks on vessels, and inter-island transport, particularly for disaster relief operations.[13]

The patrol boats also provide indirect benefits to the operating nations. Operation of the Pacifics has often required the expansion of maritime facilities, providing jobs and facilitating access for other ships.[13] In addition to the economic boost from fishing fees and fines, improved hydrographic charts created by the ships contributes to boosting tourism.[13] The ships are seen as miniature warships, and are a point of pride and prestige for the island nations.[14] Crew training by the Australian Maritime College (AMC) has increased the number of trained seafarers in the operating nations, improving the skill level of each nation's maritime sector.[14]

The Pacific Patrol Boat Program has also provided benefits to Australia and New Zealand. These nations enjoy an improved strategic presence in the region, and the naval advisors supplied to operating nations create personal networks within those nations, while improving the skill set and knowledge of the Pacific-class operators.[15] These advisors regularly interact with officials from agencies outside the normal scope of diplomats, and can obtain political and strategic information inaccessible through other avenues.[16] The naval advisors also allow the military-operated vessels to maintain links to larger naval forces.[15] The ability for the operating nations to provide their own humanitarian support likewise reduces the need for Australian and New Zealand assets to become involved in relatively small-scale incidents.[16]

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