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JICA donates over USD $500,000 in Materials to the FSM Government for the MS Caroline Voyager

Palikir, Pohnpei (FSM Information Services): October 22, 2010 - On October 21, 2010, Secretary Francis Itimai, of the Department of Transportation, Communication and Infrastructure; and Naoyoshi Sasaki, Resident Representative of the JICA Micronesia Office, executed an agreement pursuant to which the Government of Japan through Japan International Cooperation Agency will purchase and donate over $500,000 worth of materials for the MS Caroline Voyager.

Sasaki is the Team Leader for the "Follow-Up Cooperation Study Team" sent by JICA to Micronesia, to conduct a field survey of the MS Caroline Voyager. The team arrived in Pohnpei on October 12, and after working hard on their survey in close collaboration with the Assistant Secretary of the Division of Marine Transportation and his staff, as well as the officers and crew of the MS Caroline Voyager, will be returning to Japan on October 25. Following their field survey of the vessel, the JICA team was able to collect all the necessary information to establish a precise list of the needed equipment and materials for the MS Caroline Voyager.

The priority list established by the JICA Team includes, amongst other things: deck fittings, anchors and mooring lines, first aid kits and life jackets, a radar, a GPS system, awnings, rocket signals and flares, engine parts, as well as numerous tools.

On behalf of the FSM government, Itimai thanked Sasaki for JICA's tremendous assistance and expressed his solace in knowing that moving forward, the MS Caroline Voyager will boast sea-worthiness beyond reproach. He also expressed his appreciation for the efforts made by JICA to approve his Department's request of assistance; a request which had been channeling through the regular diplomatic channels for quite some time.

"The result of JICA's donation will tremendously assist in keeping the only Nationally operated vessel in seaworthy condition," said Itimai, "to provide the services direly needed by the outlying island populous in the states."