BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
What is believed to be a narco-submarine or narco-sub was discovered near Ramos Island, between Malaita and Isabel provinces.
Member of Parliament for Lau/Baelelea constituency and well-known fisherman, Ben Maenu’u, made the unusual discovery on Monday, July 28, 2025 while on a fishing trip to Isabel Province.
The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) is yet to make a comment regarding the issue after Island Sun contacted their media unit on Tuesday, July 29, 2025.
Speaking to Island Sun, Maenu’u upon his arrival yesterday afternoon in Honiara from Isabel, said they discovered the boat around 5pm on Monday this week.
He said when they saw it from a distance, they thought it was an aluminium boat.
“However, when we moved closer, it looked more frightening. It’s shaped more like a submarine. It is a closed boat. I am uncertain of its origin, but when we located it, the current was flowing towards Lord Howe,” he said.
Maenu’u said its cabin is at the back, and it seems like a cargo boat.
“It is a fibreglass. Its length might be around 40. The engine is in good condition, however, its covers were missing, and the spark plug was still connected. It hasn’t floated long at sea. Not really a long time. The boat still looks fresh and in good condition,” he said.
Maenu’u plans to tow the boat to where he lives in Honiara.
“I’m planning to tow the boat since I anchored it. I’m thinking of the weekend. If it goes out to the public, especially on social media, then police should know it. But it is my idea to tow it to where I live in Honiara. If it were morning at that time, I would tow it to Isabel. But the problem is that it was evening at that time,” he said.
Maenu’u said the boat was fitted with four 85-horsepower engines and he believes it might be a Yamaha engine.
In 2019, the RSIPF removed about 415 packages, including four loose-packed substances, and bottles from the dinghy washed ashore in Ulawa Island, Makira Ulawa province.
The media reported that observations made on the dinghy indicate that the boat may have been drifting at sea for a while.
In September 2018, RSIPF seized a massive shipment of cocaine, the largest in the country’s history, on board a double-masted yacht which was anchored off the capital, Honiara.
The media also reported that the seizure was made after RSIPF received information from Australian authorities.
A June 2019, a publication by The Guardian reported a multibillion-dollar operation involving cocaine and methamphetamines being packed into the hulls of sailing boats in the US and Latin America and transported to Australia via South Pacific islands.
“The Pacific has been a transit point in the drug route for decades, but law enforcement and security analysts told the Guardian the use of the route appears to have increased dramatically in the past five years.”
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