Major-General Ro Jone Kalouniwai expressed his deep disappointment over the grounding of the RFNS Puamau. The incident has led to significant criticism of Fiji’s Navy, particularly since the vessel was a $20 million gift from Australia. The grounding occurred just a month after its commissioning, on Fulaga Reef in Lau.
Kalouniwai stated, “I was disappointed. We just got a million-dollar asset that was given to us and then it got stuck on the reef. So we really had to ask ourselves, what went wrong?” As a result, he announced that the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) headquarters would oversee the Board of Inquiry into the incident.
He mentioned that there will be a court martial process for the ship’s captain, who will be held accountable for the mismanagement of the Puamau. Part of the inquiry will involve examining the potential mismanagement during the voyage and assessing whether standard operating procedures were followed.
Kalouniwai emphasized that this process is essential for maintaining discipline. He added, “We have our own discipline process within the RFMF, and we have our soldiers that go through it, but given the severity of what happened, it necessitates a court martial to enact the disciplinary action.”