CIPPB Te Kukupa II

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Te Kukupa II is a Guardian-class patrol boat built in Australia for the Cook Islands. It replaces the original Te Kukupa, a gift from Australia about 30 years earlier, and is crewed by members of the Cook Islands Police Service.

Key facts
- Builder: Austal
- Launched: January 2022
- Delivered: 9 June 2022; arrived in Rarotonga on 20 July 2022
- Place pictured: Te Kukupa II in Avarua harbour (July 2023)
- Identification: IMO 4734245, MMSI 518998268, Callsign E5U4248
- Status: In service

General characteristics
- Class/type: Guardian-class patrol boat
- Length: 39.5 m (130 ft)
- Beam: 8 m (26 ft)
- Draft: 2.5 ft (0.76 m)
- Propulsion: 2 × Caterpillar 3516C diesels, 2 shafts
- Speed: 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
- Range: 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 12 knots

Armament
- Australia provides the ships without weapons, but they can be fitted with heavy machine guns or a 30 mm autocannon on the foredeck

Crew and capabilities
- Crew: about 20
- Features: can launch and recover a pursuit boat from a stern ramp without stopping the ship

Purpose and context
- Te Kukupa II serves the Cook Islands Police Service.
- The ship’s arrival continued Australia’s support for its Pacific partners, a gesture rooted in the region’s history of cooperation during times of concern about nuclear testing and regional security.
- These ships are built with commercially available components to make maintenance easier in small shipyards.