Navy frustrated over faulty fleet

Navy chief Ray Griggs has revealed that he is frustrated by his faulty fleet of patrol boats and admitted he cannot provide as many ships as he would like to Operation Sovereign Borders.

In a rare public comment on the secretive issue of border protection, Vice-Admiral Griggs conceded there was a design fault across the navy’s 14 Armidale class patrol boats, which had confined many of them to port for urgent repairs.

The Australian revealed yesterday the operation had been dealt a blow, with the discovery late last month of serious structural cracks in the patrol boat fleet, which made them unseaworthy in rough seas.

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