Project for Improvement of Domestic Shipping Services

OUTLINE OF THE PROJECT

In the Federated States of Micronesia, which consists of four states, shipping between the states is handled by the national government and shipping within each state by the state governments. By 2005, many of the government-owned vessels had become inoperable, and the Caroline Voyager, provided by Japan in 1998, was carrying almost all domestic maritime transport. The vessel exceeded its passenger capacity on 11 of its 16 voyages a year, and the heavy workload made proper maintenance difficult. This project provided a new passenger-cargo vessel and spare parts for the Caroline Voyager, aiming to improve domestic shipping, a lifeline for outer island residents, and to make it safer.