HMPNGS Francis Agwi departed Port Moresby from the Papua New Guinea Defence Force’s (PNGDF) Basilisk Naval Base on Saturday 7 March to travel to Sydney to attend the Royal Australian Navy’s International Fleet Review. HMPNGS Francis Agwi is one of the four Guardian-class Patrol Boats (GCPB) in the PNGDF Maritime element fleet and was gifted by the Australian Government in 2021 through the Pacific Maritime Security Program.
HMPNGS Francis Agwi and her PNGDF Maritime Element commander and crew will arrive in Cairns on Monday 9 March, and meet Guardian-class Patrol Boats from Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Cook Islands and Kiribati. The Pacific vessels will sail together to Sydney.
A fleet review is a naval tradition where a senior officer inspects a large group of naval vessels gathered together. Since the 19th century, fleet reviews have been held for ceremonies and commemorative events and often include ships from other countries’ navies as guests. This year's Fleet Review will celebrate the 125th Anniversary of the Royal Australian Navy.
HMPNGS Francis Agwi will arrive in Sydney Harbour on Saturday 21 March to participate in the Fleet Review. It will be the largest gathering of international warships in Sydney Harbour in over a decade and will include up to 30 ships from 19 countries.
HMPNGS Francis Agwi will be on deployment to Australia for four weeks for the Fleet Review before returning to Papua New Guinea.
ENDS
HMPNGS Francis Agwi departed HMPNGS Basilisk, Port Moresby, on Saturday bound for Australia to attend the Royal Australia Navy International Fleet Review in Sydney on 21 March.
For further information, including access to related materials, please contact the Australian High Commission media team: +675 7090 0100