A US certified engineer for the MV Manu’atele should be on board in the near future.
The Department of Human Resources advertised the position and according to Director Eseneiaso Liu, the applications will be given to Port Administration to vet before a selection is made.
The US Coast Guard is requiring that the Manu’atele have a US licensed engineer on board with expertise in transport vessels before the boat can be authorized to travel between Tutuila and Manu’a.
It’s been more than two months since the first engineer for the boat left at the expiration of his contract.
He did not want to renew as he wanted to return to the US.
Port Administration secured the services of a US engineer based locally who works on purse seiner fishing vessels; however, the US Coast Guard decided that he needed to get a license specifically for transport vessels.
The engineer has since undergone certification in Hawaii to obtain the required licensing.
He is understood to be one of the applicants for the engineer vacancy.
While the MV Manu’atele is not operating, the MV Sili has been serving the Tutuila- Manu’a route.
