Solomon Islands Police in Gizo are cautioning commercial cargo ship owners and captains to thoroughly check cargoes aboard their ships.

This follows the discovery of more than seven hundred cartons of beer found not recorded on a particular ship's cargo list.

A joint operation by the Gizo Police and the customs agency from a tip off last week had them stopping the Solfish 02 boat as it was ready to depart Gizo port for the Shortland Islands.

Police and customs then went onboard to search the boat and found the large quantity of unrecorded cartons of beer.

Police warn that only licence holders can sell alcohol and what appeared onboard Solofish-02 is suspicious as these beers can be intended to the black market trade.

Gizo police says ship captains can be prosecuted, if they fail to record in the ship cargo list when transporting liquor on their vessels.

However, the Solofish -02 boat was released to travel last week after then Gizo customs cleared the liquor consignment under the grounds of the MSG trade arrangement as it was intended for Bougainville.