What is "ouvea"

Ouvéa or Uvea is a commune in the Loyalty Islands Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The settlement of Fayaoué , on Ouvéa Island, is the administrative centre of the commune.

Ouvéa, named after Ouvéa Island, was the name of a yacht used by three DGSE agents to import the naval mines used to sink the Greenpeace protest yacht Rainbow Warrior in 1985, killing photographer Fernando Pereira. The Ouvea was sailed to Norfolk Island after the bombing, from where one of the bombers flew to Australia, narrowly escaping arrest. After New Zealand Police arrested two other agents still in New Zealand, the Ouvéa set to sea and was scuttled, while the crew transferred to the French submarine Rubis, to make their escape.