MV Butiraoi

[4] On 26 January, Kiribati notified authorities in Fiji and New Zealand who, along with multiple fishing vessels, searched the areas surrounding the ferry's planned path.

[6] Two days later, a Royal New Zealand Air Force Orion patrol plane spotted a wooden dinghy containing seven passengers of the Butiraoi, who were then rescued by a nearby fishing vessel.

Tokiteba told Morrah that the captain defied those orders, boarding 88 people, including 5 crew members, despite the fact that during normal operations, the ship's maximum capacity was 69 passengers.

[8][9] The Kiribati maritime director was placed in charge of completing the official report, initially expected for late February to early March.

A team from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation was told by the Kiribati government they were not welcome and Newshub journalist Michael Morrah had his passport confiscated upon his arrival in the country.