PRIME Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says continuous work to have the submerged navy patrol vessel RFNS Kiro refloated should stop.
Confirming to this newspaper, he said, he had received the inquiry report of the vessel that ran aground at Cakauyawa Reef, off Makuluva Island two months ago, Mr Bainimarama said he would discuss the issue further with Fiji Navy commander Captain John Fox.
“I have received the report and there is a recommendation for the continuation of work to have it refloated.
“That is the recommendation that is coming, but mine is ‘forget about it’.
“I have yet to talk to the commander again about this,” he told this newspaper.
The RFNS Kiro ran aground on the reef on July 15 and several attempts made to salvage it had been unsuccessful.
A visit to the site by a team from this newspaper last week, revealed the vessel had moved about five metres away from the reef where it was grounded initially to settle into a hole with a sandy bottom.
Although continuous efforts made to get comments from the Fiji Navy have been unsuccessful, it is understood that the vessel has been stripped of its navigational equipment.
The RFNS Kiro, which was provided to the Fiji Navy by the Australian Defence Force in 1995, had been receiving $2 million annually since 2014 for its life extension program.
Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum announced in the 2016 National Budget that the sum provided was for the renovation of the patrol boat to keep it seaworthy for the next 25 years.
A further $2.9m was allocated in the 2016/2017 National Budget announced in June before the vessel ran aground in July.
