The sight of the damaged Nafanua II left high and dry in an Australian shipyard, after its return to Australia last September for repairs, would have brought its crew to tears.

Just like other Pacific island communities, we in Samoa have an affinity with the ocean as well as our paopao (canoe) and va’a (boat), which enabled us to travel its expanse returning with good tidings for the family.

So the loss of the vessel as highlighted in an article (Nafanua II ‘beyond economical repair’) in the 06 March 2022 edition of the Sunday Samoan is a major blow, not only to the Samoa Police Service crew who manned it, but also to this nation of 200,000 people.

We all know that the ocean, which we in the islands have relied on for our sustenance for thousands of years, can be both a blessing and a curse today. And with the demise of the Nafanua II, our international borders are now in a more vulnerable state, literally open to smugglers and international crime syndicates.

Coming to think of the damage that the state-of-the-art vessel sustained while in Savai’i waters last August, it is mind-boggling how the vessel got itself grounded on a reef off the shores of Salelologa, especially with all the technology on the ship that was available to its crew.

The Nafanua II was just over 2 years old, when it was gifted to Samoa by Australia under its AU$2 billion 30-year Pacific Maritime Security Programme. Samoa is one of 12 Pacific Island nations (as well as Timor Leste) recipients of that vessel type, which are being delivered between 2018–2023.

Unfortunately we’ve now created an embarrassing record of being the first among the 12 recipient Pacific Island nations to hand the ship back less than 3 years later, the patrol boat worse-for-wear, with a repair bill likely to amount to millions of dollars for the Samoa Government.

A joint statement dated 4 March 2022 issued by both the Samoa Government and the Australian High Commission, confirmed just how disconcerting it must have been for officials from both sides to discuss the issue and come to some sort of consensus.

“Samoa and Australia were saddened by the unfortunate grounding of Samoa’s Guardianclass Patrol Boat, Nafanua II in August last year,” read the joint statement’s first paragraph.

The second paragraph reads: “Following its arrival in Cairns, a thorough assessment of Nafanua II was undertaken. This assessment found the vessel to be beyond economical repair. Ownership of Nafanua II is being transferred from the Government of Samoa to the Australian Government as we look at options for disposal.”

Sadly, the brief journey of the Nafanua II in Samoan waters, has now been consigned to the annals of history. The vessel, now destined for a scrapyard in Australia, forming one dark chapter of a bilateral relationship that just celebrated its 50th anniversary in December last year.

So where do we go from here for a nation with porous borders now reliant on the goodwill of superpower nations who’ve taken on the role of securing our waters?

At some point in this sorry episode of bureaucratic incompetence, there needs to be accountability from the officers who were in the captain’s seat, on that fateful Thursday evening in August last year when the ship ran aground.

And that is accountability to the people, whom every single public servant including police officers swore oaths to serve, as well as to the donor community who continue to give Samoa millions of dollars in aid.

Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, in an interview with the Government Press Secretariat last weekend, lamented the loss of the Nafanua II when discussing negligence within the public service in looking after Government assets.

She said the Australian-donated vessel was a “useful asset” to Samoa and its damage last August was “a waste of $30 million tala.”

Accountability is the reason why the Commission of Inquiry that Fiame announced in late August 2021 into the ship’s grounding is essential.

The inquiry should thoroughly investigate the circumstances and probable cause of the vessel running aground. Its terms of reference should focus on operational and environmental factors as well as qualifications of the crew and the command structure in place at that time as well as potential breaches of any laws including local maritime regulations or even the Police Act. 

Getting the Australian manufacturers of the vessel to give evidence, in order to throw more light on the extent of the damage, is highly recommended. 

The loss of Nafanua II is a loss to the nation and the inquiry and its findings and recommendations should demonstrate to citizens as well as donor partners like Australia that Samoa’s public service will also be held to account.