The visit of the Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Reliant to Honiara was aimed at strengthening Solomon Islands’ disaster preparedness and humanitarian response capabilities.
Senior Solomon Islands officials toured the vessel to better understand how it can support national agencies during emergencies, including through disaster relief, maritime surveillance, logistics support, and search and rescue operations.
The delegation was led by Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Police, National Security and Correctional Services Karen Galokale and Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology David Hiriasia, alongside officials from the Solomon Islands Meteorological Service and the National Disaster Management Office.
As part of its first Pacific visit for 2026, the Reliant berthed in Honiara to deliver vital disaster relief supplies for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), ensuring support is in place for Solomon Islands communities should a disaster occur.
Acting Australian High Commissioner Andrew Schloeffel said the tour was an opportunity to demonstrate an important humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) asset available to support Solomon Islands.
“Australia is Solomon Islands’ longstanding humanitarian and disaster resilience partner,” Mr Schloeffel said.
“The ADV Reliant’s program is 100% focused on supporting Pacific priorities, including responding to disasters when needed.”
Prior to arriving in Honiara, the Reliant visited the Shortland Islands to carry out survey work to support future delivery of supplies to the Western Border Outpost, an Australian-delivered facility that supports Solomon Islands’ Guardian-class Patrol Boats and strengthens coordination between police, customs, biosecurity and immigration agencies along the country’s western border.
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