ABFC ''Thaiyak'' (pronounced “tie-yak”) is a patrol vessel used by the

Customs Marine Unit The Marine Unit, formerly the Australian Customs Service National Marine Unit, is a division of the Australian Border Force which acts as a Coast Guard in guarding Australia's coast. The Marine Unit focuses on surveillance and response activities ...

of the

Australian Border Force The Australian Border Force (ABF) is a federal law enforcement agency, part of the Department of Home Affairs (Australia), Department of Home Affairs, responsible for offshore and onshore border control, border enforcement, investigations, comp ...

, primarily stationed at the

Ashmore and Cartier Islands The Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands is an uninhabited Australian States and territories of Australia#External territories, external territory consisting of four low-lying tropical islands in two separate reefs (Ashmore and Cartier), ...

and is also known as the Long Term Ashmore Capability (LTAC) vessel. Its name, meaning spear, is based on suggestions from Torres Strait Islander crew members who had consulted with their elders.

Construction

In 2013

Strategic Marine Strategic Marine is a shipbuilding company headquartered in Singapore, known for producing vessels for commercial and governmental markets worldwide. History and services Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Singapore, Strategic Marine has gr ...

was awarded the contract to build the 40-metre on-station Long Term Ashmore Capability (LTAC) vessel for Gardline Australia Pty Ltd on behalf of the Government of Australia. The vessel was designed by MMD Naval Architects to provide border protection services in Australia's northern waters therefore to be reliable and flexibly self-sufficient for longterm deployment in tropical regions. The vessel employs a steel hull with aluminium superstructure. It has medical facilities for first aid along with an isolation facility. Austere accommodation is provided for up to 24 transportees. In addition, sheltered deck space allows for a short term holding capability for 25 additional passengers. The vessel was constructed at the Strategic Marine shipyards in Vung Tau, Vietnam and was launched in March 2014.

Operational history

The

Minister for Immigration and Border Protection The Minister for Immigration and Citizenship is a ministerial post of the Australian Government and is currently held by Tony Burke since July 2024 in the First Albanese ministry, Albanese ministry. The post was created in 1945 and its inaugur ...

Scott Morrison Scott John Morrison (born 13 May 1968) is an Australian former politician who served as the 30th prime minister of Australia from 2018 to 2022. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, leader of the Liberal Party and was ...

, attended a naming ceremony for the vessel at Victoria Quay in Fremantle Harbour on 20 June 2014. He said Thaiyak would significantly improve Australia's capability in the detection and response to maritime threats in Australia's northern waters. The vessel is not armed but carries

small arms A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originate ...

consisting of

Glock Glock (; stylized as GLOCK) is a brand of polymer- framed, short-recoil-operated, striker-fired, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H. The firearm entered Austrian military an ...

pistols for Australian Border Force boarding party officers along with other personal defence equipment on board.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thaiyak Ships built in Vietnam Patrol vessels of the Marine Unit (Australian Border Force) 2014 ships