The arrival of Australia’s Pacific Support Vessel ADV Reliant in Apia last week was a chance for stakeholders from both nations to discuss how its capability can best support Samoa and the Pacific region.

The Australian Deputy High Commissioner to Samoa, Barry Patterson, said in a statement released on Wednesday that the ship's visit last week was a valuable opportunity to discuss its capabilities during times of crisis.

“The last three years have been challenging, globally, and the resilience of the Samoan people, the strength they have within their communities and the way they've pulled together in a crisis has been incredibly impressive,” Mr. Patterson said.

“As members of the Pacific family, we work together to address challenges in areas such as climate change, the environment, economic security and human development. 

"We also work collaboratively on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief activities."

Mr. Patterson also said the use of Reliant will be guided by the Samoan Government's priorities and the Australian Government looked forward to working with them.

"We look forward to working with them over the coming weeks to identify how we can best use Reliant including in their preparedness for disaster response and humanitarian assistance as it's required."

During the port visit last week, the crew of Reliant conducted ship tours for Samoan stakeholders, including members of the Ministry of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Samoa Police Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment and the Ministry of Health, showcasing the vessel’s key capabilities.

Royal Australian Navy Marine Technician, Able Seaman Angus McDonough, assisted with the tours and said they encompassed everything from the mess facilities to the ship’s freshwater capabilities and landing craft.

“We showed them the two landing craft we have, the T4 and T5 – they have the capability to carry 4.5 tonnes of stores, or a fully loaded Land Cruiser and trailer, which we can land on a beach and use to transport up to 36 personnel” AB McDonough said.

"Reliant can store 850 cubes of fresh water, so if we go somewhere that hasn't got fresh water, we're able to supply them for quite a long time."

The Reliant will boost Australia’s contributions to regionally-led responses, and is one element of Australia’s broader contributions to regional partners’ requests for assistance - such as standing amphibious ship readiness and air-support.

AB McDonough said the visit of the vessel to Samoa was a successful one.

“The local officials were looking forward to seeing what the capabilities of ADV Reliant were, and I think they were quietly confident that we could assist with whatever they required of us.”

With a diplomatic relationship spanning half a century, Australia and Samoa share many things, among them a passion for rugby, strong personal connections, and shared priorities and challenges as members of the Pacific family. Those priorities include planning and preparations to ensure Samoa is well equipped for the upcoming high risk weather season.