Safety
All 73 people rescued from ferry MV Awka at Vanikoro
Xinhua reports that the Temotu provincial government said all 73 people aboard MV Awka, including passengers and crew, were transferred to MV HELPR-1 and brought ashore on Vanikoro. The ferry had been drifting since Friday after an engine failure.
Source: Xinhua (opens in a new tab)
Xinhua reported on 12 October 2026 that the Temotu provincial government said on Monday that all passengers and crew aboard a ferry that had been drifting in Solomon Islands waters since Friday had been safely rescued and brought ashore.
The government confirmed that all 73 people aboard MV Awka, including passengers and crew, had been transferred to the rescue vessel MV HELPR-1 and brought ashore on Vanikoro Island.
Xinhua, citing the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation, said the ferry suffered engine failure on Friday while travelling towards Vanikoro in Temotu Province.
The provincial government said MV HELPR-1 reached the drifting ferry at around 9 p.m. local time on Sunday, followed by police patrol boat Gizo about two hours later. The patrol boat began towing MV Awka around midnight, before the passengers and crew were transferred to MV HELPR-1 and taken ashore.
The government said France and Australia provided aerial assistance, and that the cargo vessel Sunnine 3 diverted from its planned route to deliver food, drinking water and other essential supplies. Arrangements were being made to transport the rescued passengers from Vanikoro to Lata, the provincial capital.