THE Fiji Navy is calling for greater focus on preventing maritime emergencies, saying search-and-rescue efforts should not rely only on responding after people get into trouble at sea.
In an interview yesterday, Fiji Navy Commander Timoci Natuva said the navy was often at the back end of the response and that more needed to be done before incidents occurred.
“For search-and-rescue, we have to take, just like drugs, a holistic approach to addressing it,” he said.
He said greater awareness in the islands was needed, including ensuring people consider weather conditions and take appropriate action before going out to sea.
Commander Natuva said the next priority was the response itself, including how quickly and accurately information is passed to the relevant agencies.
“The co-ordination and having the assets ready to deploy, having the right funds to support those operations.”
He said funding had been difficult during the last two search-and-rescue operations in the Lau waters because they came towards the end of the financial year.
“Australia had supported the navy with fuel during the operations.”
Commander Natuva said the navy was also reviewing how safety information is communicated to vessels, including whether existing radio broadcasts are reaching seafarers.
“We are readjusting and reviewing those systems.”
He said the navy was considering whether high frequency radio should continue to be used for safety calls or whether text messages could be used given that most boats now use modern communication systems.
Commander Natuva said prevention and a faster, better-co-ordinated response were both necessary to strengthen Fiji’s search-and-rescue efforts.
