A foreign-flagged but locally registered vessel chartered by Chinese company Ocean Skipper has been detained by the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) Maritime Unit after being found in breach of its beche-de-mer (sea cucumber) license conditions at Indispensable Reef, south of Rennell and Bellona Province.
The vessel, MV Hua Sheng 1, was operating under a harvesting license issued through an arrangement with the Rennell and Bellona Provincial Government. It was intercepted and boarded by the RSIPF patrol boat RSIPV Gizo on Friday, 24 October, during Operation Kurukuru 2025—a regional maritime surveillance exercise coordinated by the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA).
According to Senior Sergeant Whiteson Havimana, Commanding Officer of RSIPV Gizo, a joint inspection team comprising officers from the RSIPF Maritime Division, Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, and the Immigration Division discovered the vessel had been harvesting reef fish species during their spawning period, in direct contravention of the Fisheries Act and the terms of its provincial license.
“Our team worked closely with Fisheries and Immigration officials onboard to ensure the inspection was thorough and professional,” said SSgt Havimana. “These coordinated operations are vital in ensuring our marine resources are managed sustainably and in accordance with Solomon Islands laws.”
Another vessel, HKV Green, was also boarded in the same area and found compliant, though authorities plan to conduct further checks when it returns to Honiara.
Investigations revealed that MV Hua Sheng 1 had engaged over 60 local divers from both Rennell and Honiara and was operating 13 small outboard motor (OBM) boats to support its fishing operations.
The vessel has since been escorted to Honiara and detained at the Aola Patrol Boat Base for 72 hours, pending a joint investigation by RSIPF, Fisheries, and Immigration authorities. The Solomon Islands Maritime Authority (SIMA) has also been notified to carry out a seaworthiness inspection to ensure the vessel meets maritime safety standards.
RSIPF Maritime Commander Superintendent Nevol Soko commended the close inter-agency collaboration and the support from regional partners, including the Australian Defence Force, which funds parts of the operation.
“This operation highlights the importance of national and regional collaboration in safeguarding our ocean resources,” Superintendent Soko said. “RSIPF Maritime remains committed to supporting FFA-led operations and ensuring our maritime domain is free from illegal fishing activities.”
Operation Kurukuru 2025 forms part of an ongoing regional effort to combat Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing and strengthen enforcement across the Pacific’s Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs).
