The second season of the Australian drama Sea Patrol premiered on the Nine Network on 31 March 2008 and aired on Monday nights at 8:30 PM.

[3] The season-long story arc revolved around a political conflict in the fictional Samaru Islands, which was ultimately shown to be located approximately due east of Cairns.

[5] Throughout the season, the crew of Hammersley encountered an increasing number of clues that someone was using the waters off northeast Queensland to stage a paramilitary coup of the sitting Samaran government.

Over the course of the season, Australian businessman, Ray Walsman – an apparent victim of the anti-government forces in the premiere episode – emerged as the leader of the insurgency.

[6] In the season opener, the writers allowed one of the characters to directly reference the real-life events that inspired the story line.

The reality is some of it is absolutely absurdSome controversy was also caused with the storylines of the second season of Sea Patrol which feature a political coup in the fictional islands of Samaru.

[2] Another reviewer recommended the season to his readers as an overall improvement on the first, especially praising the dramatic possibilities inherent in the bigger Armidale-class bridge and the "more contemporary, plot-driven" story arc.

Hammersley gets an emergency call from Ray Walsman: Carly has collapsed from an infection due to a heart condition and needs to be taken to hospital on the mainland, leaving Buffer, Bomber and Spider on board the boat with the body.

As the ship heads for home, Swain realises Carly seems to be medically fine, and when confronted she admits she faked her condition to spend time with other people and a night on the mainland.

They recover the survivors but Kate and Nikki are in dire jeopardy when 3 of them turn the rescue into a hostage situation, and an innocent child in need of medical help fights for survival.

struggles to keep his feelings for Nav in check as control of the ship is slowly taken away and they are ordered to sail for Papua New Guinea or risk deaths.

A promised promotion is put at risk by a foolish stunt, and an elegant soiree given by the French Consulate on Samaru is attended by both Cupid and the green-eyed monster.

RO, feeling ostracized by his shipmates is starting to suffer flashbacks, and is convinced that his drinks must have been spiked during a night out with some Swedish backpackers.

Later, the body of an apparently murdered young man is brought aboard Hammersley and RO recognises him as one of the backpackers, but worried he may in some way be involved in the death, he keeps the information to himself.

Separately Hammersley has recovered a cache of forged Samaruan bank notes is destined to destabilise the fragile economy of the troubled islands.

Hammersley’s crew have been joined by an agent from the Marine Protection Agency, Campbell Fulton, and he accompanies them when they board a FFV fishing for Trochus.

Back on Hammersley, Campbell Fulton has taken a liking to Nicky, but so far she has been brushing off his advances, so when he overhears her talking with ET he sees an opportunity to use the information about their relationship to his own advantage.

When a fight breaks out on the FFV between Fulton and ET that results in ET becoming trapped below deck the crew are forced to overcome their worries about the bird flu and help their friend.

As the rescue becomes desperate it becomes obvious to everyone that Nicky has feelings for ET beyond that of just friends, and she has no choice but to tell the XO the truth about the attack by Campbell Fulton.

Swain is distraught when he gets an e-mail from home telling him his wife has left and he is not to contact her, but he is forced to put aside his worries when a young boy he has befriended from the Samaru Islands becomes entangled with illegal gun smuggling and is later kidnapped.

Wanting revenge for their friend Hammersley start the hunt for the pirates who turns out to be a foreign mercenary, but Charge is less than keen to be reunited with his attacker, preferring to put the matter behind him and move on.

On shore leave, and still grumpy with his ship mates who are continuing to wind him up, Buffer sees a person that he thinks could be part of the rebel forces behind the attacks on Samaru, so decides to follow him.

The net is tightening on Ray Walsman, and a warrant is issued for his arrest for his involvement with illegal gun running and tampering with the elections on Samaru, as well as the order he gave to have Buffer killed.

At the same time, Hammersley are escorting a small group of UN officials, but one of their number is not who he claims and makes an attempt on Buffer's life – the only man who can really put Walsman in jail.