The Australian Defense Vessel (ADV) Reliant traveled 1,300 nautical miles across the Marshall Islands from 20 May to 3 June to deliver more than 120 tons of water infrastructure cargo to four remote atolls in support of the UNDP-delivered Addressing Climate Vulnerability in the Water Sector (ACWA+) project managed by the RMI Environmental Protection Authority.
Through ACWA+, the RMI government, UNDP, Australia and other partners are working to expand water storage capacity and improve access to safe drinking water through the installation of Flatpack Modular Tanks as community water hubs.
In late 2025, the RMI requested Australian assistance to deliver ACWA+ cargo to Enewetak, Wotho, Ujae and Lae — atolls where transport difficulties had stalled installation. The cargo included cement, gravel, sand, bricks, lumber, PVC pipes, fittings and other construction materials.
With no wharfing infrastructure at any of the four atolls, all cargo had to be transferred by landing craft. At Enewetak, this meant more than 60 trips over four days, with UNDP staff and community volunteers lifting heavy bags ashore for storage and processing. At Ujae, low tides and coral patches prevented the landing craft from beaching, forcing the crew to transfer more than 500 bags of cement to a community boat offshore across multiple 50-minute return trips. At every stop, local community members were essential to the effort — helping ferry and offload materials in difficult conditions, the Australian Embassy said in a release at the Reliant visit to RMI.
The mission also created opportunities beyond cargo delivery. Arthur Jetton from the RMI Public School System joined the voyage and conducted the annual Marshall Islands Standard Achievement Test testing in Enewetak for the first time in two years. The Reliant also delivered Marshallese language textbooks for students.
At each atoll, the Australian Embassy donated a junior softball kit and a lunchtime sports kit to the local school. Second Secretary Kallan Phillips and members of the Reliant crew spent time with students and communities — playing sports, sharing songs, and gifting a guitar to one student at each school. In Wotho, the team also had the chance to sail a riwut with community members.
“We’re thrilled that ADV Reliant could return to RMI,” said Australian Ambassador to the Marshall Islands Paul Wilson. “The work it has done to deliver cargo for Enewetak, Wotho, Ujae and Lae has been really important. This cargo will sustain communities, support the UNDP ACWA+ project, and strengthen education, through the delivery of much awaited Marshallese-language learning materials. It underlines the strength of the Australia–RMI relationship that the Australian crew could visit and work so seamlessly with community members and RMI government agencies.”