By RODRICK DESURI

AUKI

Malaita provincial government has announced its continued open arms policy towards any shipping operator that wishes to run services in the province.

Provincial Secretary of Malaita, George Erick reiterated that there is no restriction imposed on any shipping company that wants to serve in Malaita province. 

He said the province welcomes any shipping company that wants to provide reliable service to its people in the province. 

In an interview with Island Sun Auki, Erick said that it is the people who choose fast-crafts over others that run slower. 

“Currently, the province doesn’t impose any restrictions on shipping companies that run services to and from Malaita Province,” the PS said. 

When asked why other ships like Taimareho and Fair Glory don’t provide their services to Auki, he said that when people choose fast ships like Pelican Express and Auki Express for traveling, others like Taimareho have fallen short because their expenses are higher than their income.

“It is the people’s choice that these ships, like Taimareho, scale down their service, but we in Malaita want more shipping services to our ports because every day people are traveling from here to there,” Erick said.

“These ships depend on passengers and bulk loading,” he added.

Meanwhile, Pelican Shipping Limited today posted on their official Facebook page stating that they will not allow any cargoes and bulk luggage onboard as it’s part of their onboard restrictions.

It stated that this is part of their continued efforts to comply with safety regulations and ensure passenger comfort when traveling, as well as directives from the Marine Department.

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BY CHRIS ALEX

A delegation from the Bougainville House of Representatives have commenced a one-week parliamentary attachment with the National Parliament of Solomon Islands.

This is part of a continuing initiative to strengthen inter-parliamentary cooperation in the Pacific.

The visiting delegation comprises of Peter Topura, Clerk of the Bougainville House of Representatives, Mr. Adrian Hihiru, Assistant legal counsel and Wesley Porake, Director of Finance and Administration.

“This attachment programme forms part of a long-standing parliamentary twinning arrangement between the Bougainville House of Representatives, the National Parliament of Solomon Islands, and the Parliament of New South Wales (NSW), Australia,” Jefferson Hallu, Clerk to the Solomon Islands Parliament said yesterday during a press conference.

The trilateral partnership, established in 2007 under the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s Pacific Twinning Programme, aims to enhance institutional capacity, promote democratic governance, and foster regional cooperation among Pacific parliaments.

During their week-long visit, the Bougainville officials will engage with various departments within the Solomon Islands Parliament, including the Parliamentary Procedure Office and the Finance and Administration Division.

The programme is designed to offer hands-on exposure to the administrative, procedural, and legal frameworks that support parliamentary operations.

“This visit further strengthens the commitment of the Bougainville House of Representatives and the National Parliament of Solomon Islands to ongoing collaboration and mutual learning in the development of effective parliamentary institutions in the Pacific region,” said Topura.

He said the focus of their visit is to mainly to look at committee procedures.

Topura stated that his focus is also on the financial aspect of Parliamentary Services in understanding how finance, legal, and procedural services function within the Solomon Islands Parliament.

The attachment is expected to promote professional development, foster institutional dialogue, and reinforce shared values of transparency, accountability, and good governance across the Pacific’s parliamentary landscape.

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BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Unexplained fish deaths along the Chovohio river, also called Metapona, is worrying villagers who are calling on authorities to investigate.

Derick Tova, a resident of Turarana village in Central Guadalcanal, raised concerns after discovering a dead fish in the river.

He said other members of the community have also seen unexplained fish deaths, a situation that has persisted for three days.

In an interview with Island Sun on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, Mr Tova said he encountered the dead fish while walking along the river on Thursday last week.

Turarana village is situated inland on Guadalcanal Plains along the Chovohio River.

Tova, a former teacher said they are situated downstream from the Gold Ridge mine, which is currently in operation.

He added that their community has a population of around 6000 individuals and is located approximately 5 kilometres from the Gold Ridge mine.

“Who will go to raise this issue with the company? We Turarana people and Tausoro people, suffer from this containment,” he stressed.

He said the situation consistently arises during periods of rainfall, at times worsening further.

The Director of the Environment and Conservation Division (ECD) at the Ministry of Environment, Joseph Hurutarau, was formally informed of the matter following an inquiry from Island Sun regarding the issue.

He said he will have his officer asses the pollution.

However, Hurutarau said that mobilisation can only commence if a formal request is submitted through the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification.

“This way, we can respond appropriately. In terms of mobilising additional personnel and resources for assessment, we first require that request and will then consider the budget, finances, fuel, and so forth,” he said.

Despite the difficulties, Hurutarau said that two of his officers will be sent to the location.

“My team will be dispatched, although I am uncertain regarding the Ministry of Mines. One or two of my officers may attend. I require someone to accompany them,” he said.

The Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification has not responded to attempts by this paper for comments.

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BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

The Solomon Islands Maritime Authority (SIMA) has successfully concluded its investigation into the incident that involved a crew that fell from the Pelican Express last month.

A crew member from the Pelican Express II fell into the sea during a trip from Honiara to Auki on June 7 when the ship passed between Gela and Alite Reef. The vessel departed Honiara at 4pm.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with this paper on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, SIMA Director, Thierry Nervale said the crew is still missing.

“The body has not been found for the information we have, and so for us, he is still missing at sea,” said Nervale.

Following the investigation, Mr Nervale said that SIMA administration formulated a series of recommendations to the shipping company.

“The investigation is an administrative investigation that aims to understand the cause of the accidents. We found that the crew member went into an area that was exposed to weather conditions. The waves were going over the poop deck, and so yeah, he exposed himself, and then he’d been washed off,” he said.

He said that the recommendation could apply to any vessel.

“It’s more than recommendations because we verify that they implement them. I request them to put in place a safety management system and train their crew members to apply procedures,” he said.

He said that he also talked to the deceased’s family regarding the investigation.

“Now we’ll move into the phase where we will monitor the shipping company in implementing the recommendations. Make sure that everything is in place,” he said.

He said that the investigation is to improve the safety management of vessels and not to cancel the shipping company’s business licence.

“When you are on board a vessel, you sit at a place that is safe, designated by the crew for you to stay. You don’t expose yourself when the vessel is already at full capacity.

“Going at sea, there is always risk because of the weather, because of the sea. Anything can happen. This instruction is the same for the crew members. The crew members need to be at their duty stations. Where it’s allocated to them to do their job. If they are at rest during the voyage, they should be at a rest station. That is designated and is safe and not just walking around,” said the SIMA Director.

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-Call to investigate Xiao’s Henderson hotel building

-Shops operating in ground floor while three-storeys above under construction

BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

People in East Guadalcanal are calling on the Guadalcanal Provincial Government (GPG) to investigate and stop businesses operating at Xiao’s Henderson Hotel Ltd, located at Henderson.

This is the same hotel that came under spotlight earlier this year in the issue of tax exemption by former finance minister, Manasseh Sogavare.

A total of five Chinese retailers opened their shops on the ground floor of the three-story building, early this month and are operating business as usual while the building is still under construction.

Island Sun also witnessed ongoing work on the upper three floors yesterday.

Speaking to Island Sun yesterday, David Bigha, a teacher by profession, said that responsible authorities must step in and take action to stop such unacceptable actions.

“Who permitted them to open the shops while the building is still under construction. Authorities, especially the GPG, must take action. This is not safe for the general public,” said Mr Bigha.

“They need to come forward, inspect this building, and close down the shops while construction is still ongoing,” he added.

A construction worker who spoke to Island Sun yesterday under condition of anonymity, said the shops started operating as of July 1, 2025.

“The owner decided to open the down floor to business so he could pay back his loan. Rental for shops is $25,000 per month. One of the shops is $50,000 since it is a double room,” the worker said.

The worker said that the building is expected to be fully completed by October this year since construction started in December 2024.

He said the three-story building contains around 200 rooms in the upper floors.

A Chinese shop owner who operates one of the ground-floor shops said he is willing to accept any decision taken regarding the issue.

“I’m operating because my business licence to operate here was accepted.

“However, I am willing to close down my shop if I am advised to.

“So far, we haven’t received any notice from the authorities,” he told Island Sun.

One GPG officer spoken to at the site yesterday said they were surprised to see businesses operating while construction is still ongoing.

“This issue brings more attention, and it needs to be addressed,” the GPG officer said.

The owner of the building could not be reached for comments before this paper went to print last night.

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