It will be next week when the 22-crew members of the Samoa Police, Prisons and Corrections Services will depart Perth Australia with the new Nafanua III and set sail for Apia.

The crew have been in Australia for a few months where they have been training and learning the ropes of the new vessel.

Acting Police Commissioner Leiataua Samuelu Afamasaga has confirmed on the Samoa Police Facebook page that the vessel will be departing from Perth, Australia and set on its final destination - Apia sometime next week.

Leiataua said the 22 S.P.P.C.S. members have been ‘undergoing training overseas and will be the ones bringing the Nafanua III home’.

The group have been undergoing training in Perth equipping them with the right skills set to crew the S.P.P.C.S. guardian class patrol boat.

And they will be accompanied by, “TAs or advisors on board as per partnership on board the vessel when they sail back to Samoa.”

“And, God willing, the vessel is expected to arrive in Samoa on the 20th of January 2024,” said Leiataua.

“The S.P.P.C.S. has been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Nafanua III and her arrival scheduled for next year will mean a lot to the work of the Maritime Division.

“Having the vessel means a lot, we have been waiting for the vessel to be in Samoa for a while now and this will help assist with the security of the nation.”

"We can assist with any rescues required, regional and international.” 

He added that Nafanua III can also assist with humanitarian efforts if needed.

The vessel was provided under the Pacific Maritime Security Program as part of Australia's commitment to the Pacific region and replaces Nafanua II that ran aground a few years ago in an incident while heading towards Savai’i.

The Guardian-class patrol boats are a class of small patrol vessels designed and built in Australia and provided to small South Pacific Ocean countries as part of the Australian Government's Pacific Maritime Security Program.