FIJI and New Zealand have uncrewed ended a joint maritime operation using drones to identify illegal operations.

The uncrewed surface vehicles (sea drones) Tahi and Rua  identified 137 vessels of interest that required additional scrutiny during a 24/7 surveillance of known maritime routes over a four-week period.

Fiji Navy Commander, Commodore Timoci Natuva, said technology was an important addition to Fiji’s maritime surveillance capabilities.

 “This technology is fundamental in supporting Fiji’s fisheries and border surveillance, environmental monitoring and the protection of the country’s extensive maritime domain,” Natuva said.

“Illegal narcotics entering our country is causing so much harm and misery to our people, so any means to combat this is beneficial to the nation.”

Equipped with an array of high-tech surveillance, positioning and photographic systems, the drones continuously report their location and observations back to a monitoring centre.

Powered by a combination of wave, solar and wind energy, the USVs can remain at sea for weeks at a time, operating around the clock without requiring resupply to provide a persistent maritime surveillance capability.

This operation allowed the Republic of Fiji Military Forces to develop a clearer understanding of activity across the region, including volume and patterns of maritime traffic.

The drones were flown to Fiji in a Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules and transported to the Vuda Marina from where they were deployed.

Insights generated in this operation may, in the future, assist Fiji in identifying vessels that do not conform, allowing an interception, boarding and thorough search.