For Tuvalu Police Service (TPS) Maritime Wing Sergeant Foma Kalala, Operation Render Safe is delivering peace of mind for the people of Tuvalu's northernmost atoll.

The executive officer of Tuvalu Guardian-class patrol boat HMTSS Te Mataili III deployed to her home island of Nanumea alongside HMAS Diamantina and Pacific Support Vessel ADV Reliant to survey the lagoon for explosive remnants of war.

Home to about 500 people, the atoll was once the site of a strategic United States airbase during World War II.

Today, dangerous 80-year-old bombs lie beneath the surface of its picturesque turquoise waters, nestled among coral. Their number and exact locations remain unknown to many residents.

That is something Sergeant Kalala hopes to change.

"I really enjoyed growing up here, but I never knew there were so many bombs in our lagoon," Sergeant Kalala said.

"We've come here to identify where those bombs are located so our people can stay safe.

"Many people don't know where the bombs are or whether they could be disturbed, so it's important we find and record them.”

'I really enjoyed growing up here, but I never knew there were so many bombs in our lagoon.'

Since joining the Tuvalu Police Service in 2017, Sergeant Kalala has spent more time away from home than on her home island.

She was proud to return to Nanumea and contribute to making her community safer for the family and friends who still live there.

Building on work completed during Operation Render Safe 2022, the technical reconnaissance involved diving and survey operations to safely identify and confirm reported unexploded munitions.

The Australian Defence Force-led task group deployed to Nanumea at the request of the Government of Tuvalu.

Royal Australian Navy clearance divers identified numerous previously unrecorded unexploded munitions, including 100-pound ordnance for the first time.

The reconnaissance will inform planning for future Operation Render Safe activities and help minimise the risk to local communities, mariners and vessels operating in Tuvaluan waters.

The task group departed Nanumea on July 10, returning to Funafuti before continuing to Port Vila, Vanuatu.