HMAS Paluma (IV) is the first ship of the Paluma Class (SML) and the fourth to bear the name Paluma. HMAS Paluma is a custom built survey vessel, designed for surveying in the shallow coastal waters of the Great Barrier Reef and Northern Australia. She was built by Eglo Engineering of Adelaide in November 1987 and Commissioned on the 27 February 1989. Her catamaran design provides good stability in rough weather and allows her to sit well out of the water.