Te Kukupa in Avatiu harbour
History
Cook Islands
NameTe Kukupa
OwnerCook Islands Police Force
OperatorCook Islands Police Force
ChristenedMay 1989
In serviceMay 1989
Out of service2022[1]
Refit2015
Identification
General characteristics
Class and typePacific-class patrol boat
Displacement162 tons
Complement15

CIPPB Te Kukupa is a Pacific-class patrol boat, built by Australia and operated by the Cook Islands.[2][3]

Background

When the United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Seas established that all maritime nations exclusive economic zones extended 200 kilometres (124 mi) from their shores, Australia designed and built 22 patrol vessels that it then gave to 12 of its neighbours in the Pacific Forum, so they could exercise sovereignty over their zones, from their own resources.[4]

Australia provided just one vessel to the Cook Islands, and will be providing it with a larger and more capable replacement, from the Guardian class.[5] The replacement is scheduled to be delivered in 2022.[6]

Design

Australia designed these vessels using commercial off-the-shelf equipment, rather than high performance military grade equipment to help ease the maintenance burden of maintaining the vessels in small, remote shipyards. Te Kukupa displaces 160 tons, and is designed to allow its crew to remain at sea for missions of up to ten days.

Operational history

Te Kukupa was delivered in 1989.[7] In 1995 it escorted the vaka Te Au o Tonga to Moruroa to protest against French nuclear testing.[7]

In January 2012 Te Kukupa went to the rescue of the yacht Bonny, only to find it empty, with its lone crew-member missing.[8] It later emerged that the yacht had been stolen by a man facing child sex charges.[9] A member of the Cook Islands Police was later convicted of stealing $9,000 from the yacht.[10][11]

The vessel underwent a major refit in Australia in 2015.[3][12]

On November 3, 2017, Te Kukupa rescued the owner of the yacht Zangano, whose engines had failed several days earlier.[2][13]

Replacement

Australia started building a class of replacements for the original Pacific Forum patrol vessels, in 2017. Te Kukupa's replacement will be named CIPPB Te Kukupa II.[14] Te Kukupa left on her final voyage to Australia on 25 February 2022.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "MFAI MEDIA RELEASE: PRIME MINISTER BROWN TO ATTEND HANDOVER CEREMONY FOR CIPPB TE KUKUPA II". Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration - Government of the Cook Islands. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Yacht in trouble again off the Cooks". Radio New Zealand. 31 October 2017. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018. Cook Islands police patrol boat Te Kukupa is on a rescue mission after a distress alert was sent by the yacht Zangano, which was about 500km southwest of Rarotonga yesterday.
  3. 1 2 Matariki Wilson (15 May 2015). "Patrol boat 'born again'". Cook Islands News. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  4. ↑ Dave Morley (3 December 2015). "Lifelines across Pacific" (PDF). Navy News. Vol. 58, no. 23. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 January 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2018. The program involves 22 Australian-gifted patrol boats to 12 Pacific island countries, the majority of which are operated by police services.
  5. ↑ Emmanuel Samoglou (18 June 2014). "Patrol boat offer for the Cook Islands". Cook Islands News. Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  6. ↑ "Cook Islands looking forward to new patrol boat in 2022". RNZ. 22 September 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 "Cook Islands farewell police patrol boat Te Kukupa". Cook Islands News. 25 February 2022. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  8. ↑ "Missing skipper on sex charges". Stuff. 14 January 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  9. ↑ "Sex accused's exit reads like fiction". Stuff. 15 April 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  10. ↑ "Former Cook Islands police officer fined for theft from crime scene". RNZ. 16 August 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  11. ↑ "Boat owner tries to recoup losses". Stuff. 9 October 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
  12. ↑ "Cairns industry refloats Cook Islands patrol boat". ABC Far North Qld. 21 April 2015. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  13. ↑ "Rescued sailor returned to Rarotonga". Radio New Zealand. 3 November 2017. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018. The yacht, Zangano, was reached by Te Kukupa drifting in the Niue exclusive economic zone.
  14. ↑ "New police patrol boat launched". Cook Islands News. 22 January 2022. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
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