BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Solomon Islands has embarked on an ambitious path to strengthen its maritime security governance.

Solomon Islands National University Vice Chancellor Professor Transform Aqorau voiced this at the two-day Pacific Maritime Security workshop at SINU Ranadi campus on Wednesday, July 23, 2025.

The two-day workshop’s theme was “Charting a Shared Course: Enhancing Maritime Security Coordination in the Pacific”.

Hosted by the Solomon Islands National University (SINU), in collaboration with the University of Adelaide, the workshop ends today.

The workshop aims to encourage dialogue and coordination on maritime security among Pacific Island countries and their key partners.

It brought together leading academics and experts from across the region and beyond to discuss priorities, partnerships, and practical strategies for regional maritime cooperation.

“Earlier this year, the Solomon Islands (SI) launched its first comprehensive national maritime security strategy, a transformative roadmap to safeguard our maritime domain and sovereignty,” Aqorau said.

He explained that the strategy is built on the conviction that Solomon Islands must transition from fragmented, reactive measures to a cohesive, technology-driven approach that integrates real-time surveillance, intelligent analysis and coordinated enforcement.

Aqorau said that at its heart, is the creation of a National Maritime Surveillance Centre, a state-of-the-art facility to centralise all maritime monitoring, intelligence sharing and enforcement coordination activities.

He added that the National Maritime Surveillance Centre will fuse data from vessel tracking systems, satellites and patrol assets to give real-time maritime domain awareness and early warning of illicit activities.

“It will serve as a nerve centre for coordinating joint operations among our agencies, police, navy, customs, fisheries, and, crucially, it will link with regional networks like the Forum Fisheries Agency’s Surveillance Centre and the Pacific Fusion Centre for Regional Intelligence Sharing,” he said.

He also stated that a National Maritime Security Coordination Council will be established to ensure that this high-tech hub is guided by sound policy and multi-agency cooperation.

Aqorau said the new body will unite all relevant ministries and stakeholders to oversee the National Maritime Security Centre’s operations, align national efforts with regional and international maritime security frameworks and evaluate its performance.

“We see this as vital because maritime security is by nature intersectoral and international, so only a whole-of-government and regional approach will suffice. Our SI strategy is boldly forward-looking, and over the next three years, we will invest in aerial drones, coastal radar and AI-powered surveillance tools to detect illicit vessels in near real-time,” Aqorau said.

He said Solomon Islands aims to achieve tangible results by 2027, such as reducing illegal fishing incidents by 30 per cent, increasing joint maritime patrols by 50 per cent and extending real-time monitoring to 85 per cent of our exclusive economic zone.

The professor mentioned that these are ambitious targets, but they provide clear yardsticks for success.

“In implementing this strategy, we will rely on our regional family and international friends. What I wish to underscore from the Solomon Islands perspective is that we are taking ownership of our security challenge.

“We are determined to stand our ground as guardians of our waters, harnessing innovation and cooperation to overcome our constraints. In doing so, we will enforce not only our national security, but contribute to the collective security of the Pacific, because the threat to one island’s waters can imperil all of us,” he said.

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