The Minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure, Olo Fiti Vaai has assured that the Government's plans on border control at all wharves in the country including the Aleipata wharf were up to par.

He made the comments after issues of breaches on Samoa's border such as the transportation of drugs into the country were raised in parliament.

Member of Parliament for Aleipata Itupa I Luga, Suluimalo Amataga Penaia told the Minister that there were breaches and dodgy dealings which appeared to be entering Samoa through the Aleipata wharf.

"As mentioned in a report, it will be used by Silva Transport and fishing boats and the constituency is querying the border control and drugs. If there are plans to use the wharf for fishing boats, what about the border control? he told the parliament on Friday. "It can be a way for others to make these kinds of businesses."

Olo, in response, said that all these plans for small fishing boats to lease the Aleipata wharf are only temporary plans and stressed that the Police maritime surveillance unit is actively monitoring the wharf.

"That plan will be discussed next year but your advice is noted. The maritime surveillance is not being careless about it," he said.

The Minister said that the slipway at the Satitoa or Aleipata wharf has been leased to the Silva Transport Company for repair.

"Another thing is it (Aleipata wharf) will also be leased for fishing boats but in the meantime, as controversies have been highlighted in the newspaper, I visited the wharf," he added. "To clarify, the boat belongs to the company that is building the Matautu wharf but it will return (to Matautu) once there's enough space but small (fishing) boats will also be using the Aleipata Wharf."

He added that the Government has plans to upgrade the wharves at Mulifanua and Salelologa next year.

Residents who live within the vicinity of the Aleipata wharf have raised questions about the presence of the Chinese vessel, which they say arrived in April this year and has been unloading cargo at odd hours of the night and also disturbing the community. 

The Samoa Observer was also tipped off by members of the public on the presence of the ship at the isolated wharf on the north coast of Upolu Island. This newspaper visited Aleipata on Tuesday last week and found the ship moored alongside the wharf with its registration details confirming that it is called HY. Checks by this newspaper of its IMO [International Maritime Organisation] 8355645 with the MarineTraffic Terrestrial Automatic Identification System confirmed the vessel is a deck cargo ship with a gross tonnage of 1012 sailing under the Panama flag. It was built in 2013 and arrived in Samoa on 6 April 2023 from Nauru. 

The Samoa Ports Authority (S.P.A.) Chief Executive Officer, So'oalo Kuresa So'oalo cleared the air on the vessel when he was contacted by the Samoa Observer for comment. 

He said the ship belongs to the China Harbour Company and has received entry clearance from the Ministry of Customs, the Immigration Division and the Ministry of Health to enter Samoan territorial waters.

"It's nothing new. The vessel is here for a long-time project which the Government has been working on for the port but because there was no space at the Matautu wharf, we decided to have it docked there at the Aleipata wharf," So'oalo said. "The boat was cleared by the Immigration, Health and the Ministry of Customs for the boat to enter and again it was explained by our Minister years ago at the start of this project.

"The boat belongs to the Chinese company called China Harbour which was awarded the contract for the project so that's the only reason why the boat is here."

It is understood the Matautu Port Project is also known as the "Enhancing Safety, Security, and Sustainability of Apia Port Project" which is funded by the Asian Development Bank (A.D.B.). The project is part of the Government's plan to upgrade the Apia Port and to make it safer, more efficient and more environmentally sustainable and is funded by the A.D.B. to the tune of SAT$166.8 million.