Salutations!
Honourable Richard Marles, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence for the Government of Australia.
Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament
Excellencies Members of the Diplomatic Corps and Heads of International and Regional Organizations
Distinguished Guests
Members of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen
Ni sa bula vinaka, and a very warm welcome to you all.
It is both a privilege and an honour to be here this morning for the official opening of the Vuvale Maritime Essential Services Centre — a milestone not just for Fiji’s maritime capability, but for our national resilience and regional cooperation.
This Centre is more than a building. It is a symbol of our enduring commitment to protect our maritime domain, safeguard our sovereignty, and protect, progress and promote the wellbeing of our people and region.
It also embodies the true spirit of partnership.
Partnership with our Vuvale, the Government of Australia in the design and construction of this facility.
Partnership between our government institutions to coordinate our maritime efforts and stand together as Fijians in the face of shared challenges.
And partnership with our Pacific neighbours, to develop this facility not only for Fiji but for our wider region to protect our shared Blue Pacific.
I wish to acknowledge with deep gratitude the Government and people of Australia — our vuvale — for your continued support and friendship. Your investment in this facility and for the purpose to which it will serve our region are deeply appreciated. Vinaka vakalevu.
Through the Vuvale Partnership, we have been able to take practical steps toward strengthening our collective maritime security. This includes through the recent gifting of Fiji’s second Guardian-Class Patrol Boat, the RFNS Timo,
This Centre is a further tangible outcome of that partnership, and a testament to what we can achieve when we work as equals, with shared values and a shared vision. The total cost of building the MESC is approximately FJD$120 million. And throughout the construction, over 1200 local were employed over the last two years.
This collaborative approach represents a model for how we can build together, in partnership and as equals.
I also wish to thank other international partners, such as New Zealand, the United States, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, to name a few, who have supported the operationalization of this facility.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Fiji is a proud maritime nation. Our Economic Exclusive Zone is over 1.3 million square kilometres. And we have responsibility for a Search and Rescue Zone that spreads across 6.5 square kilometres across the territories of Tuvalu, Wallis & Futuna, Tokelau and Kiribati.
Our economic prosperity, our environmental health, and our very way of life are inextricably tied to the sea. That is why, under Fiji’s National Security Strategy, maritime security has been identified as a key strategic priority. We recognise that the threats we face — from illegal fishing, transnational organised crime, including narcotics trafficking, to climate-induced disasters — demand a strategic approach and coordinated response.
The Vuvale Maritime Essential Services Centre provides that capability. It will house a number of critical agencies working together under one roof — including the Fiji Navy, the Fiji Hydrographic Office, and Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre among others.
This whole-of-government approach is not just efficient; it is essential. No single agency or ministry or nation can address today’s maritime security challenges alone. But together, we can act faster, share information more effectively, and respond more decisively. Together we’re stronger.
That is why the Centre now also includes the Maritime Domain Fusion Centre. A fully integrated maritime intelligence fusion centre staffed by the Fiji Navy, Fiji Police Force, Fisheries, Customs and Revenue and international partners. The Maritime Domain Fusion Centre will lead our fight against incursions into our maritime domain.
Our message to the traffickers and illegal fishers that seek to exploit Fiji, is that we are watching you and we will get you.
This Centre will also serve as a hub for regional coordination, supporting combine and joint operations and information-sharing with our Pacific neighbours and international partners. As we confront increasingly complex challenges across our Blue Pacific, we must build not only our individual national capabilities, but also our collective resilience as a region.
As Prime Minister, I can assure you that this Government remains firmly committed to deepening our maritime security efforts. In the coming months, Fiji will launch its first Maritime Security Strategy, which will align with our National Security Strategy and lay out a clear roadmap for how we protect our ocean. It will reflect our values, our aspirations, and our unique vulnerabilities as a small island developing state. And it will ensure that we use this new facility — and the partnerships that underpin it — to their fullest potential.
Before I close, let me express my appreciation to all the men and women — from engineers and planners to naval officers and civilian staff — who worked to bring this Centre to life. Vinaka vakalevu for your dedication.
This is a proud day for Fiji. The opening of the Vuvale Maritime Essential Services Centre marks a bold step forward in our journey to protect our maritime domain, enhance regional cooperation, and safeguard our collective future.
May this Centre serve not only as a command and coordination facility, but as a beacon of our unity, our resilience, and our unwavering commitment to the security of our seas.
Vinaka vakalevu. Thank you.