The Cook Islands government says the New Zealand Defence Force's work in upgrading a fuel depot in Penrhyn helped avert a potential environmental disaster.
Penrhyn, in the northern Cook Islands. Photo: Ewan Smith
The police commissioner Maara Tetava says the project has ensured the community is protected from the unlikely event of an oil spill.
He says the depot will also support long-range maritime patrols against illegal fishing in the northern Cook Islands.
He says the northern Cook Islands now has sufficient fuel in storage to progress its own maritime surveillance and enforcement activities.