The Fiji Navy is looking at acquiring ships with female accommodation to best suit women officers in the future.

This comes after they received more than 1,200 women applicants in their recruitment drive last month.

Navy Commander, Captain Humphrey Tawake says there are number of processes that the Navy will have to review with women in their ranks.

“Our new ships that we have acquired has female accommodations. But when it comes to us putting females out at sea that will be another step for us. So the first step for us is now to take them in and there’s a process to follow. We will have to see the conditions are conducive then we will put them out at sea. But for now when we recruit these women, first of all they will go into our naval reserves, when the vacancies exists then we will select from people who have been recruited based on capability gaps and HR gaps.”

Tawake adds for the first time in history they are recruiting female officers and the decision was made to promote gender equality in the workforce.