Australian navy ship experiences power outage while delivering aid in Tonga

Non-military experts are on their way to inspect the damage after an Australian Navy vessel providing aid to Tonga suffered a major power outage.

HMAS Adelaide has been providing recovery equipment and personnel as well as essential supplies to Tonga after an undersea earthquake and tsunami struck the archipelago in the middle of January, causing a three-day power outage, spoiling frozen and refrigerated food.

The ship’s power outage was first reported by the ABC, which reported it was having issues with external communications and some crew reportedly slept above deck as a result.

The Defence Department confirmed there had been a power outage, and backup power had been activated to restore essential systems.

“The situation is being closely monitored and the safety of the ship and the embarked forces remains our highest priority,” a spokesperson said.

The Department said there were “a number of rumours circulating”, which were inaccurate.

The spokesperson said: “Essential functions such as fridges and sanitation are up and running; no provisions were spoiled as a result of the power outage; HMAS Adelaide is not under tow, nor has been under tow whilst in or near Tonga; and air conditioning is operational in most areas of the ship.

“The power outage has not affected Australia’s ability to support requests from the government of Tonga to assist their recovery efforts.”

The Department did not respond to questions about when the outage began nor what services it had affected, but said civilian specialists were on their way to assess the systems.

It’s estimated about 80 per cent of Tonga’s population has been affected by the disaster, and three people died.

Ash from the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apa volcano eruption ruined crops and contaminated drinking water as well as caused outages to power and communications systems. The Navy supply ship delivered aid without personnel leaving the ship, designed to keep Tonga free of COVID-19.

On its way to the island nation, the HMAS Adelaide was hit with a COVID-19 outbreak, with 23 cases reported by January 25. The vessel is carrying three helicopters that provided a contactless delivery of supplies, and the Defence Department said the ship was able to handle the positive cases.