The Fiji Navy will have three operational vessels patrolling our waters by the end of the year.

The RFNS Kula is currently in Lau as part of an ongoing drug operation, RFNS Kikau is in Australia while RFNS Kacau is yet to reach Fiji but come December these navy vessels will be watching over the country’s exclusive economic zone.

Despite the expanding fleet, Navy Commander Captain Humphrey Tawake says there will be no more recruits as the navy has sufficient officers and sailors.

“So that’s a big boost for us but again having assets alone does not mean that you are much more secure but it’s how you employ them and how you create a relationship with the original partners because the threats are around the region especially the maritime security threats and the maritime security environment.”

While there will be more operating vessels, there are no plans to intake more navy personnel’s as there are more than four hundred officers and sailors on the ground.

“We have recruited for what we had anticipated that will come. So what the manning and the structures of our capabilities have been recruited from the recruitment that we have done this year. And that was part of our planning so when the capabilities come people are already trained rather than having the ships and trying to get the people to man the ship so the ship will be idle for quite a long time.”

Captain Tawake says they won’t be sending any female officers out to sea until a new vessel arrives from Australia in 2020.