Vanuatu commissions landing craft transferred by Australia

RVS Sokomanu , the landing craft that was transferred from Australia to Vanuatu. (Commonwealth of Australia)

Vanuatu has commissioned the landing craft that it received under assistance from Canberra, Australia's Chief of the Defence Force Admiral David Johnston confirmed in a statement released via his official social media pages on 31 July.

It has been named RVS Sokomanu with pennant number 04, and was inducted into the Police Maritime Wing of the Vanuatu Police Force on 30 July in Port Vila.

“The vessel demonstrates Australia's commitment to enhancing Vanuatu's humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capability,” reads the statement from Adm Johnston.

Canberra has thus far released scant details of the vessel it transferred, but open sources of information indicate that Sokomanu is a 47 m landing craft that is equipped with a bow ramp design, and can carry payloads of up to 450 tonnes.

Images of the vessel published via several other official social media channels, including that of the Australian High Commission in Vanuatu, further indicate that it is equipped with a 30 tonne crane on its cargo deck.

“The Australian-supported vessel is ideally suited to support any humanitarian and disaster relief efforts that may hit Vanuatu. It is able to reach shallow shores and travel in open oceans,” reads a separate statement released by the Australian High Commission's social media page on 8 June.

This older statement was released to mark the vessel beginning its journey to Vanuatu from Singapore.

For more information, please seeVanuatu .