French Navy patrol boat

A French Navy patrol boat has been assisting its Fijian counterpart with maritime surveillance.

The Navy officers have been in the country since December.

Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Julien Feurtey says they have been monitoring illegal fishing over the past two months in the Fiji Waters.

“We patrol day and night also a bit far from the coast and we reported a lot of fishing vessels to the relevant authorities.”

Lieutenant Feurtey says over the past few months, they have come into contact with more than 30 illegal fishing vessel in Fiji’s EEZ.

He says their main focus is to provide information.