The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has tasked a P-3K2 Orion aircraft to search the area where the two Kiribati vessels supposedly went missing last week.
Reports confirmed that the aircraft left Auckland at 6am this morning and was expected to reach the destination at around midday today.
The area that the two boats went missing is located 4085 kilometres north of New Zealand.
It’s said one of the missing vessels is a six-metre wooden boat with three people on board.
Media outlets around the region reported that the Fiji Maritime Surveillance Coordination Centre (FMSCC) requested the assistance from the NZDF on Sunday.
The request was made after a local patrol boat failed to find either fishing vessel last Friday.
