HMTSS ''Te Mataili'' (801) was a provided by Australia to Tuvalu, and operated by the

Tuvalu Police Force The Tuvalu Police Force is the national Police force of Tuvalu, it is headquartered in Funafuti and includes a Maritime Surveillance Unit, Customs, Prisons and Immigration. Police officers wear British style uniforms. Police powers and responsi ...

. Tuvalu has a

exclusive economic zone An exclusive economic zone (EEZ), as prescribed by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is an area of the sea in which a sovereign state has exclusive rights regarding the exploration and use of marine natural resource, reso ...

, 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 established that all maritime nations were entitled to exercise control over a 200-kilometre (120 mi)

, Australia agreed to give small patrol vessels to 12 of the smaller nations of the Pacific Forum to improve regional maritime security.

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 The International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) is an independent and non-profit international human rights-based membership organization, whose central charter is to endorse and promote the collective rights of the world's indigenous ...

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 Pu ...

, suspending public gatherings, for 14 days, in January 2011. It 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 official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

and

Prime Minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

. 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 organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

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 341 people (2022 Census). It has the form of an oval and consist ...

. On March 3, 2017, ''Te Mataili'' rescued two distressed fishers, off Fuafatu. ''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 who served as the tenth Prime Minister of Tuvalu from 2006 to 2010. He also held the role of Foreign Minister. Ielemia was returned as a member of parliament in the ...

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 1,077 people (2022 Census) living on with the main village being Asau. History Discovery and settlement The exa ...

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

References

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