Passengers on the 4PM sailing of the inter-island ferry from Saleologa Savaii for Mulifanua were delayed for more than three hours as the ferry had to wait for the tour group from China on a sightseeing trip on Savaii.
The Minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure, Olo Fiti Va’ai issued a formal public after angry travelers and relatives took to social media to complain about the delay.
He said that the incident was “not a reflection of the government’s stance.”
However, he did not give a reason for the delay.
Samoa Observer reports the Chairman of the Faatuatua I le Atua Samoa ua Tasi government, La’auli Leuatea Schmidt, told EFKSTV on Friday evening that he had a meeting with the Chinese delegation at his constituency before they all traveled to the Salelologa wharf.
He did not apologize for the delay, which caused many passengers to miss important family functions.
Most had already been on board the last ferry from Savai’i by 3:30PM, before the scheduled 4PM sailing.
Passengers on Samoa Express II were later informed by the captain that there would be a delay as they were waiting for the visiting Chinese delegation, as well as Members of Parliament before the vessel departs.
Meanwhile, the crew of the delayed ferry had to put up with a barrage of abuse from the public for the delay.
Many of the passengers were worried about not having any transport to get home, as the buses would have all gone by the time the ferry arrived at Mulifanua.
A senior official working at the Salelologa wharf —who is not authorized to speak to the media— responded to questions from Samoa Observer saying, “They were just following instructions.”
Photo: Samoa Observer
