Rarotonga Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) Commander Detective Inspector Areumu Ingaua and police officers have experienced maritime drills on board the visiting French Navy patrol ship P675 Arago.

French personnel demonstrated boarding procedures of foreign fishing vessels and disarmament tactics. 

Three weeks ago two Cook Islands police officers attended an exercise operation in Tahiti, along with 12 nations of the Pacific, as Cook Islands Police are keen to rebuild relations and contacts with French forces.

On Tuesday, visiting French Navy Arago Ship Commander LT Bastein Khoury said the mission was to check fishing vessels to ensure they are in accordance with the maritime laws, as his crew demonstrated how it’s done.

The crew board fishing vessels to check documents, navigation systems, all mandatory equipment, and the catch.

“Even during Covid we were navigating through waters, but not calling into ports,” said LT Khoury.

Arago assists with missions of sovereignty and protection of French Polynesia and International Waters.

She had been patrolling the Cooks EEZ (Exclusive, Economic Zone) prior to her arrival to Rarotonga on Friday last week.

Arago is 60 metres long, weighs 980 tonnes and has a top speed of around 12 knots.

The former hydrographic survey ship was commissioned in 1991.

For ten years she was a military scientific ship painted in white, and fitted with a specific device to prepare charts.

In 2002 she went to France to be transformed to a patrol boat and was painted grey.

In 2011 the hydrographic systems were removed.

Arago last visited Rarotonga in 2019 just before the Covid pandemic hit and had been scheduled to visit in 2020, which was cancelled.

In January this year the ship assisted with the recovery effort in Tonga.

In October 2020, French Minister of Defence Florence Parly, extended the service time of Arago by three years, pushing back its withdrawal date from 2021 to 2024.

Arago departs Avatiu Harbour today.

She will continue through the Cook Islands EEZ and international waters before heading back to Papeete later this month.