HMTSS ''Te Mataili'' (801) was a provided by

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-northea ...

, and operated by the Tuvalu Police Force. Tuvalu has a exclusive economic zone, and ''Te Mataili'' was its sole long range patrol vessel, until it was retired, and replaced by the larger and more modern .

Background

When the

United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Seas The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea Treaty, is an international agreement that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities. , 167 ...

extended maritime nations exclusive economic zone to , Australia agreed to give small patrol vessels to 12 of the smaller nations of the Pacific Forum.

Design

Australia designed the patrol vessels using

commercial off-the-shelf Commercial off-the-shelf or commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) products are packaged or canned (ready-made) hardware or software, which are adapted aftermarket to the needs of the purchasing organization, rather than the commissioning of ...

equipment, to make it easier to maintain the vessels in small, remote, shipyards.

Operational history

The International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs an international human rights group, questioned how the government used ''Te Mataili'' after it invoked Tuvalu's

Public Order Act Public Order Act (with its variations) is a stock short title used for legislation in Malaysia, Rhodesia, Sierra Leone, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, relating to public order offences. List Hong Kong *The ...

, suspending public gatherings, for 14 days, in January 2011. She was moored near the official residences of the

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...

and

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

. Some commentators expressed that, if her crew were armed it would have eroded Tuvalu's peaceful traditions. In October 2011 the government of Tuvalu had to declare a state of emergency when potable water reserves dropped to a dangerous level. ''Te Mataili'' carried a

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

desalinization unit to

Nukulaelae Nukulaelae is an atoll that is part of the nation of Tuvalu, and it has a population of 300 (2017 census). The largest settlement is Pepesala on Fangaua islet with a population of 300 people (2017 Census). It has the form of an oval and consists of ...

. On March 3, 2017, ''Te Mataili'' rescued two distressed fishers, off

Fuafatu Fuafatu is an islet of Funafuti, Tuvalu, north of Tefala. Fuafatu is part of the Funafuti Conservation Area, established in 1996 with the aim of preserving the natural fauna and flora of the area. Te Ava Fuagea, also known as Ava Amelia is a ...

. ''Te Mataili'' escorted , carrying Polynesian leaders to Amatuka, on July 5, 2018. On November 22, 2018 ''Te Mataili'' carried the body of former Prime Minister

Apisai Ielemia Apisai Ielemia (19 August 1955 – 19 November 2018) was a Tuvaluan politician. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 2006 to 2010, and was returned as a member of parliament in the 2010 Tuvaluan general election. He was re-electe ...

from the capital to his home island,

Vaitupu Vaitupu is the largest atoll of the nation of Tuvalu. It is located at 7.48 degrees south and 178.83 degrees east. There are 1,061 people (2017 Census) living on with the main village being Asau. Geography The island, which covers approxima ...

. She was replaced by the ''Te Mataili II'', a , which was launched on November 26, 2018, and commissioned on April 5, 2019. Like all other redundant Pacific Forum vessels she was returned to

for recycling.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Te Mataili (801) Ships of Tuvalu Pacific Forum class patrol vessels