The Office of the Prime Minister & Cabinet (OPMC) wish to provide clarification regarding the article published on 28 July 2026 titled “Wale Signs Controversial US Shiprider Deal Without Local Media Presence,” which contains misleading assertions about the circumstances of the signing ceremony.
The claim that the media was deliberately barred from the signing is inaccurate. The ceremony was originally planned to take place once the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane berthed at the wharf in Honiara.
However, unfavourable weather conditions prevented the vessel from coming alongside. An assessment by the ship’s crew determined that the high swells would create safety problems at the berth.
The U.S. side accordingly sought advice from the Solomon Islands side and presented two options: to proceed with the ceremony aboard the vessel, or to postpone until the following day. The decision from the Solomon Islands side was to proceed with the ceremony on the deck of the ship.
Officials were present as witnesses, a press release was subsequently issued, and during the dinner that followed, the Prime Minister, the Minister responsible, and the United States representative took photographs with the signed agreement.
The change in arrangements was therefore a practical response to weather and safety conditions — not an attempt to exclude the media or conceal the event from the public.
We are equally puzzled by the characterisation of the agreement as “controversial.” Cabinet made its decision on this agreement more than a month ago through the normal government process.
Furthermore, the agreement is a public document and will soon be available to anyone interested in its details. It contains no non-disclosure clauses preventing either party from making it publicly available.
Finally, we note that the responsible course of action would have been to contact the parties involved for an explanation before publishing speculation. We remain available to answer questions from the media and encourage journalists to verify facts with the relevant offices before publication.
