BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Pacific waters are not only being exploited by fishing activities but also by criminals exploiting the vast blue spaces.

Professor Transform Aqorau, Solomon Islands National University Vice Chancellor, highlighted this at the Pacific Maritime Security Workshop co-convened by the University of Adelaide and the Solomon Islands National University.

Delivering his welcome remarks at SINU Ranadi campus on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, he said Pacific Island states have seen a sharp rise in maritime drug trafficking and smuggling.

“Our islands are being used as transit points for narcotics bound for other markets, and we have intercepted cocaine and methamphetamine consignments in our region that shock the imagination.

“Human trafficking, money laundering, and contraband smuggling via sea routes also pose growing dangers,” Professor Aqorau said.

He added that these illicit activities are often intertwined with international networks that see the Pacific as a soft transit zone.

“We must prove them wrong. Coordinated patrols and information sharing are our best weapon. Initiatives like the Pacific Transnational Crime Network and the Pacific Fusion Centre are equipping us to fuse intelligence and identify threats early,” he said.

The professor said with the help of partners like the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, which assists Pacific states in strengthening legal frameworks and law enforcement against maritime crime, Pacific Islands are tightening the net on traffickers.

“Yet gaps remain. Many of our ports lack adequate scanning, and our maritime agencies stretch thin across huge distances. So, I stress the need for continued capacity building. More than just training, shipwriter agreements, and more investments in technologies like aerial surveillance, so that no lawless element can exploit our oceanic borders with impunity,” said Aqorau.

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