New ship out of service

The new RMI field trip ship Enen Kio at Uliga Dock. Now that it’s inoperable, it is anchored offshore in Majuro lagoon. Photo: Karen Earnshaw.

Despite its recent arrival, the nearly new MV Enen Kio has been inoperable for weeks because of a mechanical malfunction that Minister of Transportation, Communications and Information Technology Donald Capelle referred to as an “unknown vibration” when in gear. He was responding to questions from opposition MPs in Nitijela last Friday.

Employees at the Shipping Corporation headquartered in Uliga said Enen Kio, which is the newest to join RMI’s fleet and the first government field trip ship built in China, is not a passenger boat.

Members of Parliament from the opposition demanded the status of the boat despite the fact that the boat was acquired during their leadership and delivered late last year.
In a related development, MV Ribuuk Ae remained stuck on a reef on Ujae Atoll following its grounding at the New Year and is considered a total loss.


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