Customer complaints of “chaotic managing of cargo” upon the arrival of the Government-owned Lady Naomi in Pago Pago, American Samoa have not gone down well with the Transport Minister.

A Lady Naomi customer who identified himself as Launiu Saelua wrote a letter of complaint in an email dated 30 June 2022 addressed to Samoa’s Minister of Public Enterprise, Leatinu'u Wayne Fong.

He claimed the “Lady Naomi offloading/loading agent in American Samoa” was not managing the cargo shipment well upon arrival in the American territory.

"I humbly submit this letter on behalf of many Samoans & American Samoans that are subject to extreme chaos at Pago Pago wharf each and every time Lady Naomi arrives to offload and load cargo to/from Apia,” read the email.

“The ordeal and experience is outdated and we humbly implore the Honourable Minister and General Manager of S.S.C. [Samoa Shipping Corporation] to re-tender or instruct the local agent in American Samoa for a more efficient and less painful operations for the people that hope to clear incoming cargo to American Samoa, and more important the cargo to be sent from Pago Pago to Apia.

“The current system is outdated with pushing, nepotism, unorganised operations that is very strenuous to the people that are both Samoan citizens and American Samoa families that try to send cargo from Pago Pago to Apia.”

However, the Samoan Cabinet Minister whose portfolio covers the S.S.C. including assets such as the Lady Naomi, expressed disappointment and called for immediate action in response to the concerns.

The Minister of Works Transport and Infrastructure, Olo Fiti Vaai, said he will raise the issue with the S.S.C. Board for action to be taken. 

"I am referring this now to the Board and C.E.O. of the S.S.C. for their immediate action," Olo said in an email to Samoa Observer.

Saelua also invited the Minister and the head of the S.S.C. to Pago Pago to witness first hand the reality of the services rendered for the people of Samoa at the port.

"Honourable Minister, we invite you and General Manager Leiataua to travel to Pago Pago wharf to witness the disorder and ineffective service the current agent is providing with our people. 

“You will see familiar Samoan business owners, faifeau and faletua, the elderlies all struggle to send/receive their cargo in the most unfashionable means.

"If the management of the Pago Pago agent that handles Lady Naomi also happens to read this, our humble request is to act on it. 

“Not for any other ill feeling towards your company, but for the people of Samoa and American Samoa that depend on you for good service." 

Attempts by the Samoa Observer to contact a Samoan firm called Polynesian Shipping, which provides stevedoring services for the Lady Naomi when it travels to Pago Pago, were not successful.

However, Pago Pago-based radio station KHJ News in a recent report quoted the Operations Manager of Polynesia Shipping, Kana Siafuafu who laid the blame with American Samoa government agencies.

Quoting the Polynesia Shipping Operations Manager, the radio station said what happens on the inter-island dock as well as processes used is determined by American Samoan Government agencies, specifically Ports, Customs and Quarantine.

She said their company is only a user but the system being used is set up by the American Samoa government agencies.

Siafuafu acknowledged the challenges including limited space to process cargo on the inter-island dock, but pointed out the large volume of cargo that is processed into and out of the vessel while it is docked in Pago Pago.

But Saelua was not satisfied with the response that the Polynesia Shipping Operations Manager gave, when contacted by this newspaper and asked what can be done to improve the service.

“You have clearly identified the disadvantages and weak points at the dock, now as the agent, how can you make the operations better? 

“If you cannot identify these improvements, then the suggestion to the Hon Minister for Lady Naomi to re-tender the Pago Pago handling agent is within good cause. 

“On Thursday 23rd June 2022, there were four different stations for the export procedures to be done. 

“Hundreds of people, but staff-wise you only had one person to man each station. Could this also contribute to the delay? There are countless ideas that can be thought up for a better and more efficient operation.”