Based in Darwin after commissioning, "Jervis Bay" was in a fortuitous position to respond to the 1999 East Timorese crisis, and was used to provide logistic support to the Australian-led INTERFET peacekeeping taskforce. The catamaran was the first RAN ship to reach Dili; deploying 3RAR to the city's damaged docks on 12 September. "Jervis Bay" was then used to transport soldiers and equipment between Darwin and Dili: she was capable of sailing the in around 11 hours at an average speed of approximately . The catamaran was also used to transport humanitarian aid, and relocate displaced persons.