Fiji Navy Use Kikau To Conduct Joint Inspection

The Republic of Fiji Navy, Ministry of Fisheries and Fiji Police force concluded an eight-day joint patrol inspection along the Suva harbour last week.
According to a statement by the Republic of Fiji Navy, RFNS Kikau was used for the inspection with over 72 fleets inspected over the last week. Without going into specifics the statement said while most vessels were compliant with the marine safety regulations there were a few inspected and suspected of illegal activities.
“Those that were suspected of illegal activities were addressed accordingly,” the statement said.
Some punts and fibreglass boats were without proper safety equipment onboard and were strongly advised on carrying appropriate lifesaving equipment’s and appliances such as life jackets and flares.
The Maritime (Fiji Maritime Code) regulation of 2014 states that “Lifesaving appliances” means any device, arrangement, apparatus or thing intended to sustain the lives of people in distress, or to signal their distress, or to alert people onboard a ship to an emergency, and includes lifebuoys, lifejackets, immersion suits, anti-exposure suits, visual signals, survival craft, rescue boats, evacuation systems, line-throwing appliances, and general alarm and public address systems; “Lifesaving equipment” means equipment stored in or belonging to a lifesaving appliance and required to be carried onboard a ship.
The Fiji Police force and the Fiji Navy support the Ministry of Fisheries in the inspection and patrol of the vessels along the Suva harbour.
The statement urges boat owners and seafarers to ensure that lifesaving equipment are carried onboard everytime they venture out to sea.