Micronesia Sun Bright News from the Deep Pacific
Photos Sources: Office of the President, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Chewy Lin & NTA
By Christopher Cottrell
March 27, 2026, Marshall Islands___ Officers of the Marshall Islands Police Department (MIPD) were given a heroes’ welcome home by President Heine, family, friends and citizens after returning from Australia for training aboard their new Guardian-class patrol boat, the RMIS Jelmae.
Given as a gift of “Blue Pacific” solidarity by the Australian people, the RMIS Jelmae, “strengthens the nation’s maritime security and surveillance capabilities,” according to a statement from the Office of the President, Republic of the Marshall Islands.
It adds that the ship will support, “the protection of ocean resources, fisheries, and national borders. The RMI [Republic of the Marshall Islands] is deeply grateful to Australia for its partnership and the generous handover of the RMIS Jelmae.”
Australian Ambassador to Marshall Islands Paul Wilson said that this 23-crew capacity ship for mixed crews of men and women is, “Australian designed and Australian built for Pacific conditions and for Pacific circumstances.”
According to a statement from the Embassy of Australia, Marshall Islands, the “RMIS Jelmae stands as the newest symbol of the enduring partnership between RMI and Australia. With RMIS Jelmae now in service, her crew brings strengthened capability and expertise to RMI Sea Patrol and Marshall Islands Police Dept. -MIPD, supporting their vital work to protect the Marshallese people, their waters and their resources.”
Pacific Maritime Security Program (PMSP)
The donation is part of Australia’s Pacific Maritime Security Program (PMSP) that, “represents the Australian Government’s commitment for the next 30 years in the region,” according to a statement from the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
The PMSP already donated to the Pacific Islands region, “24 new Guardian-class Patrol Boats, 3 landing craft, and other maritime assets including a small loan fleet,” according to the ADF. The RMIS Jelmae is the crowning 25th donated vessel.
It also entails, “a package of major maintenance and sustainment support, including infrastructure, training for crews through the Royal Australian Navy and commercial providers, embedded in-country Navy advisers to support safe operations, region-wide contracted aerial surveillance to enable targeted, intelligence-driven patrols to respond to transnational crime, and enhanced regional coordination and communication.”
“Narco-submarines” and Illegal, Unreported, Unregulated Fishing
Over the past year, Marshall Islands has been experiencing exploitation by drug smugglers using their waters, believed to be from Latin America, with two narco-submarines found abandoned and empty of cargo, an emerging pattern across the Pacific Islands with a total of seven over the past 18 months. Cartels are expanding cocaine exports to Australia and New Zealand, according to reports.
According to the Global Organized Crime Index, the Marshall Islands experiences Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, “with widespread misdeclaration of catch and exploitation of trafficked people in the fishing industry. Chinese actors, especially from Zhejiang and Dalian, are implicated in IUU fishing activities. The Marshall Islands has an open registry system, which allows foreign-owned vessels to fly the Marshallese flag but increases the risk of organized crime involvement in the sector. Despite improved enforcement measures, including ship-rider arrangements and patrols with the US Coast Guard, gaps remain in regulating offshore activities.”
It adds, “On the positive side, the country has been recognized for its commitment to combating IUU fishing and enhancing maritime transparency. In 2023, it received an international award for the monitoring and surveillance of fisheries and is the first Pacific nation to share vessel data through the Global Fishing Watch initiative.”
The RMIS Jelmae is hoped to increase catches of IUU criminal actors and scare off narco-submarines from entering its waters as part of greater Blue Pacific maritime policing efforts.
