Joint patrol operations between the New Zealand Navy officers on board the HMNZS Hawea and the Fiji Navy resulted in 380 vessels checked and 70 infringement notices detected in Fiji waters.
Outgoing HMNZS Hawea commanding officer Lieutenant Dave Luhrs said since the arrival of the vessel in Fiji in April, it worked with more than 20 Fijian Navy personnel in training them.
Lt Luhrs said the infringement notices included vessels fishing without licences, illegal use of underwater breathing apparatus for fishing, dumping of rubbish at sea and other infringement such as not holding a master’s licence and life jackets, as well as overloading of vessels.
“Apart from the fisheries patrols, another success story from our deployment here is the integration of the Republic of Fiji Navy sailors with our crew. They are involved with the boarding and are assigned tasks along with the rest of the crew members,” he said.
“By providing practical, hands-on training we hope to support the Fiji Navy in developing their capability.”
A new rotation of 26 more officers are in the country to continue to patrol Fiji waters as part of the partnership between the Republic of Fiji Military Forces and the New Zealand Defence Force.
New commanding officer of HMNZS Hawea, Lieutenant Brock West said the new team was excited of the work expected of them.
“The crew members are eager to continue the amazing job that has been achieved in helping patrol Fiji’s waters,” he said.
“They are excited at this great opportunity and are aware of the hard work and effort that is required to make this operation a success.”
2014, Fiji Times Limited