The project was delayed 8 months due to lack of transport to remote Enewetak Atoll. After undergoing extensive repairs in Fiji, Enewetak’s ship, the Lady E, was finally ready to sail. Loaded with 39 tons of equipment and supplies for the project, the Lady E charged through high wind and seas, managing to hold its course through the adverse conditions. One of the two engines failed. The water pump malfunctioned, preventing access to drinking water. The 3 day passage turned into 5. When the ship finally limped into the Enewetak lagoon, it was discovered that the dock had silted up, preventing the Lady E from tying up. The crew tried to anchor the ship in heavy the winds, but their small anchor was inadequate. They drifted until they were able to enlist help onshore to make a mooring. Once this was accomplished, they were able secure the ship. It took a crew of men 3 days to unload the cargo, one item at a time, first into a small skiff to the dock, and then into a small truck that transported it along 5 miles of unpaved road to the construction site.

The Enewetak people of the Marshall Islands are no strangers to hardship. Forced to leave their ancestral island during the U.S. open air testing of nuclear bombs in the late 1940’s and 50’s, they returned in the 1980’s to face another slow, silent killer: tainted and diminishing fresh water supply. Rising sea levels and severe drought intensified the threat.

Ten years ago, Moana Marine recognized the impending danger to the people of the low-lying islands of the Pacific. While international funding was being channeled into research studies and flow charts, Moana Marine went to work designing and then installing 100% solar and wind powered water purification systems that convert sea water into safe, healthy drinking water, while also providing the community with sources of clean, accessible, renewal energy. 

The largest system to date was installed this past April on Enewetak Atoll, providing the 850 residents with a critically needed source of pure water, as well as a state of the art hybrid wind and solar power source, granting them both water security and energy independence. Moana Marine is now able to supply these technologically advanced systems not only in the Marshall Islands, but anywhere in the world. Vance’s innovative, robust design and ability to train local people make his unique water purification systems adaptable to any location.