On The Wind...

Narco-sub Surfaces in Solomon Islands & Fishing Boat Killer in Court

Jul 31, 2025

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Spooky find hints at drug dangers in South Pacific

It wasn’t the kind of catch Solomon Islands politician and part-time fisherman Ben Maenu’u expected on his trip last Monday, July 28.

Drifting between Santa Isabel and Ramos islands, he came across something far from the usual: an abandoned hulk of what looked very much like a narco-submarine or what the Americans call a “go-fast boat”.

The 30 km wide strait marks the wider entrance between the open Pacific Ocean and the sheltered Solomon Island waters of Ironbottom Sound and the islands of Guadalcanal, Malaita and Santa Isabel. It's a busy shipping area, particularly for Chinese flagged fishing longliners.

Had it been part of a cocaine run from South America, 13,000 kilometres to the east? Was the payload—possibly worth millions—offloaded mid-ocean, the vessel then left to drift?

Maenu’u posted a video on social media, clearly taken aback:

“This is what I found yesterday at the sea when we out for our fishing trip, between Isabel and Ramos Island… Unexpected to see this even surprising…”

He described the vessel as around 12 metres long, fitted with four 85-horsepower outboards. Known as LPVs or low profile vessels, they can run mostly submerged at around 15 knots.