by Georgina Makaa
A formal Marine Inquiry into the devastating fire, sinking, and total loss of the cargo-passenger vessel MV ANJEANETTE, as well as the presumed loss of life of contracted welder Joseph Tauto, officially begins today in Honiara.
The inquiry, initiated by the Director of the Solomon Islands Maritime Authority (SIMA) Thierry Nervale under SIMA Decision No. 114-2026 pursuant to the Shipping Act 1998, follows a preliminary investigation completed in August that identified significant safety issues, potential failures of duty, and possible breaches of maritime law.
On July 4, 2026, the Solomon Islands-registered MV ANJEANETTE suffered a major fire while berthed at the Wate 2 domestic jetty at Point Cruz, Honiara.
The disaster resulted in the vessel drifting and subsequently sinking off Ngella on July 5, 2026, the complete destruction of onboard cargo, severe risk of marine pollution, and the tragic presumed death of Joseph Tauto, who was reportedly onboard performing welding work when the fire broke out.
SIMA has formally appointed a three-member independent Board of Marine Inquiry to lead the proceedings:
-
Chairperson: Leonard B. Chite, private lawyer and Managing Principal at Bridge Legal and Consultancy Firm.
-
Member: Simon I. Wame, Head of the Engineering Department at the Solomon Islands Maritime College.
-
Member: George Tatireta, Incident Investigations Officer at the National Maritime Safety Authority of Papua New Guinea.
Speaking before the inquiry started this morning Chite says the inquiry is to look into the circumstances surrounding what happened leading up to the 4th of July, including 4th of July the day which the incident of the burning occurred.
“Witnesses will be called during the week starting today, to give evidence before the Board and will be subjected to questions that the Board will ask, prepare the findings and recommendations.” he said.
The Board is tasked with conducting an exhaustive independent examination into the casualty.
Key areas under investigation include:
-
The precise sequence of events, root causes, and contributing factors of the fire, explosions, and sinking.
-
The circumstances surrounding the missing welder, Mr. Joseph Tauto.
-
Cargo acceptance, documentation, stowage, dangerous goods handling, and use of passenger/accommodation spaces for cargo.
-
Control, recording, and accounting of crew, contractors, visitors, and non-crew personnel onboard.
-
Crew preparedness, watchkeeping, fire patrols, and senior command arrangements while berthed.
-
Initial emergency response, firefighting efforts, abandonment procedures, towing decisions, and marine pollution mitigation.
-
Identifying any failures of duty, misconduct, or non-compliance by operators, owners, charterers, crew, or authorities.
-
Developing critical safety recommendations for SIMA, the Solomon Islands Ports Authority (SIPA), the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force, and Fire and Rescue Services to prevent future maritime tragedies.
The inquiry will operate independently under the principles of natural justice and the IMO Casualty Investigation Code.
The Board has the authority to hold public hearings, examine witness statements, request expert testimony, and review technical logs and documentation.
Affected parties whose conduct may be called into question will receive formal notice and procedural rights.
Upon conclusion of the proceedings, the Board will submit its draft and final reports to the Director of SIMA, who will formulate an implementation action plan and present findings to the Minister for Infrastructure Development.