Police detains locally registered foreign vessel for breaching license conditions
Police Maritime of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) have arrested and detained a foreign local registered vessel for breaching its license condition at Indispensable Reef out of Renbel province recently.
The arrest was made during the Royal Solomon Island Police Vessel (RSIPV) Gizo deployment under Operation Kurukuru 2025 to patrol our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
The purpose of the operation is combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and safeguarding valuable marine resources across the Solomon Islands and the wider Pacific region.
During patrols in the Solomon Islands’ southern EEZ, RSIPV Gizo was tasked to proceed to the Indispensable Reef area following intelligence and the detection of two unidentified “dark” vessels—vessels through the Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) system.
At approximately 1445 hours on Friday, 24th October, the RSIPV Gizo boarding team, consisting of officers from the RSIPF Maritime Division, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, and Immigration Division, conducted a boarding of the vessel of interest, MV Hua Sheng 1.
The vessel, chartered by the Chinese company Ocean Skipper and licensed to harvest beche-de-mer (sea cucumber) under an arrangement with the Rennell and Bellona Provincial Government, was found to be in breach of its license conditions.
According to Senior Sergeant (SSgt) Whiteson Havimana, Commanding Officer of RSIPV Gizo, the multi-agency inspection discovered that the vessel had been harvesting several reef fish species during their spawning period, a direct violation of the Fisheries Act and the vessel’s license conditions.
“Our team worked closely with Fisheries and Immigration officials onboard Gizo to ensure that the inspection was thorough and professional,” said Senior Sergeant Havimana.
SSgt Havimana said, “These types of coordinated operations are vital in ensuring our resources are managed sustainably and in accordance with Solomon Islands laws.”
Another vessel, HKV Green, was also boarded in the same area but was found compliant with its license conditions. However, further checks will be conducted when the vessel returns to Honiara for continued verification.
Investigations further revealed that Hua Sheng 1 had engaged more than 60 local divers from Renbel and Honiara and was operating 13 small OBM boats to support its fishing operations.
The vessel has since been escorted to Honiara and detained at Aola Patrol Boat Base for 72 hours, pending the outcome of a joint investigation by the relevant government agencies. The Solomon Islands Maritime Authority (SIMA) has also been notified to conduct a seaworthiness survey to ensure compliance with maritime safety regulations.
Commander of RSIPF Maritime, Superintendent Nevol Soko, praised the strong collaboration between all participating agencies, including the RSIPF Maritime Division, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, Immigration, Customs, Forum Fisheries Agencies (FFA), and other supporting partners such as the Australian Defence Force for funding.
“This operation highlights the importance of national and regional collaboration in safeguarding our ocean resources. RSIPF Maritime remains committed to supporting FFA-led operations and ensuring our maritime domain is free from illegal fishing activities,” Superintendent Soko said.
Superintendent Soko also commended the teams for their professionalism, discipline, and teamwork throughout the operation, noting that their actions reflect the RSIPF’s continued dedication to maritime security and law enforcement in Solomon Islands waters.
The RSIPF Maritime Division will continue to strengthen its monitoring and enforcement efforts against IUU fishing through enhanced coordination, intelligence sharing, and partnerships with both domestic and regional stakeholders.
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Police media