Navy Commander Humphrey Tawake [Source: Republic of Fiji Navy/ Twitter]

The Republic of Fiji Navy says laxity is one of many reasons people go missing at sea stating that they are concerned with non-compliance to safety by seafarers.

Commander Humphrey Tawake highlighted this as he highlighted challenges faced by the RFN while conducting search and rescue at sea.

Tawake says while lack of resources poses a significant challenge, the biggest hindrance is people themselves.

“The biggest challenge with search and rescue is the awareness and for those that going out to sea to be more vigilant and to have the necessary tools if things do go wrong and most of the time it’s short of fuel, overloading ships.”

The Navy Commander says some seafarers think that they have been going out to sea for years and they know what to do when faced with a situation.

[Source: Republic of Fiji Navy/ Twitter]

Commander Tawake reiterate that awareness is also a challenge and something they continue to work on to create among the public.

Commander Tawake emphasized that people need to understand that sea is totally a different environment and no one is accustomed to it.

He adds that weather is beyond the control of everyone but coordination is key.