London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 09, 2025

Solomon Islands halts all naval visits after US, UK ships denied entry

Solomon Islands halts all naval visits after US, UK ships denied entry

The Solomon Islands has temporarily halted all naval visits after failing to grant access to US and UK ships earlier this month.
Honiara said the vessels had not sought access in time, and this prompted a review of the arrival procedure.

But the move marks a departure from routine and has raised concerns about China's influence.

Honiara signed a security pact with Beijing in April, sparking alarm among US allies and other Pacific islands.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare issued a statement clarifying "misinformation" in media reports on the US and UK boats.

He said both ships — the US Coast Guard Cutter (USGC) Oliver Henry and the HMS Spey — had failed to be granted approvals in time because of a delay in paperwork.

"The delay in these approvals demonstrates the need for the government to review and refine its approval requirements and procedures for visiting military vessels to Solomon Island," Sogavare said.

"The government has asked all partner countries with plans to conduct naval visits or patrols to put them on hold until a revised national mechanism is in place."

He said this "universally" applied to all visiting foreign naval vessels.

US embassies told the BBC they had received notice of the Solomon's policy update on Monday.

"The United States received formal notification from the Government of Solomon Islands regarding a moratorium on all naval visits, pending updates in protocol procedures," an embassy statement read.

This came after Solomon authorities failed to provide diplomatic clearance to the USCGC Oliver Henry, which was making a routine stop in Honiara on 23 August, forcing the ship to divert to Papua New Guinea.

However it said one of its hospital ships, the US Navy Ship Mercy, had been granted entry into the Solomons' waters on Monday for a separate operation- although that ship was granted approval before the announced moratorium.

British ship HMS Spey was also forced to turn away from Honiara after it failed to get approval from Solomon authorities in time. It is one of Britain two ships based permanently in the Pacific region.

It's unknown if any Chinese vessels have been affected so far.

The US has sought to strengthen its relations with all Pacific island nations since the Solomons leader made the unexpected announcement in April that his government had secured China as a major security partner.

This led to fears that a Chinese military base could potentially be set up on the island — though this has been strongly denied by Sogavare.

In the face of China's advances, Australia's newly elected center-left government launched a series of visits in May to several Pacific Island nations, to reinforce its relationships with its neighbors.

The US has also been making efforts to engage. In February, it re-opened its embassy on the island after a 29-year absence.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
×