The Royal New Zealand Navy deployed two uncrewed surface vessels (USV) to Fiji in late July 2025 to enhance maritime domain awareness for the Republic of Fiji Navy.
The vessels, known as Bluebottles, also are expected to bolster operations of Fijian agencies including Revenue and Customs, the Police Transnational Crime Unit, Fisheries, Immigration, and the Biosecurity Authority.
Fiji Defence and Veterans Affairs Minister Pio Tikoduadua called the deployment historic. “We are facing a more dynamic and challenging security environment than we have for some time,” Tikoduadua said, according to The Fiji Times newspaper.
He noted the effects of warmer temperatures and rising sea levels, “transnational organized crime and continued stress on the international rules-based system. The deployment of these Bluebottle vessels is a clear indication of our responsiveness to this changing reality that we all face.”
The deployment falls under the Duavata Partnership, signed in 2022, that outlines the nations’ joint ambitions and priority areas of cooperation, including security. Duavata is a Fijian word meaning “working together” or “partnership,” according to Fiji’s Foreign Affairs Ministry.
The transport ship HMNZS Canterbury delivered the USVs as part of the New Zealand Defence Force’s (NZDF) Operation Calypso, which supports Indo-Pacific partners through joint maritime security activities.
The Bluebottles conduct long-endurance operations without refueling. Powered by sun, wind and waves, they can travel at 5 knots, or about 9 kilometers per hour. The USVs are ideal for fishery protection, border patrols, surveillance, and collecting oceanic and meteorological data, the NZDF stated.
The Royal New Zealand Navy is providing operational support to the Fiji Navy during the three-month deployment. The USVs, named Tahi and Rua, provide real-time situational awareness and surveillance of suspicious activity in Fiji’s exclusive economic zone, including potential narcotics trafficking. A Royal New Zealand Air Force aircraft will conduct identification and surveillance while a Fiji Navy vessel will be deployed for boarding and seizure operations.
The collaboration reflects the nations’ commitment to tackle common security and economic challenges, officials said.
“For many years, at the request of the Fijian government, we have conducted joint fishery patrols to ensure Fiji’s natural resources and vital revenue streams aren’t being exploited through illegal fishing by other countries,” said Commodore Shane Arndell, the NZDF’s maritime component commander.
“Now we are confronting a criminal issue just as important but with deadly consequences. The movement of drugs from South America through the Pacific is a very real concern and has a significant and long-lasting impact on the lives of Fijians, their families and the wider … community.”
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