The Samoa Shipping Corporation is a government-owned company in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

which provides freight and passenger services between Savai'i,

Upolu Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is long and in area, making it the second largest of the Samoan Islands by area. With approximatel ...

and

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the International ...

. Established in 1974, the corporation is managed as a public trading body under the Public Bodies (Performance and Accountability) Act 2001. The corporation also provides maritime support services, including engineering services in

Apia Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō ...

and a slipway at Satitoa in Aleipata. It maintains facilities at

Mulifanua Mulifanua is a village on the north-western tip of the island of Upolu, in Samoa. In the modern era, it is the capital of Aiga-i-le-Tai district. Mulifanua wharf is the main ferry terminal for inter-island vehicle and passenger travel across the ...

Salelologa Salelologa is a village district at the east end of Savai'i island in Samoa. It is the main entry point into the island with the only ferry terminal on Savai'i. It also serves as the main township for shopping and public amenities with a market s ...

and

Pago Pago Pago Pago ( ; Samoan: )Harris, Ann G. and Esther Tuttle (2004). ''Geology of National Parks''. Kendall Hunt. Page 604. . is the territorial capital of American Samoa. It is in Maoputasi County on Tutuila, which is American Samoa's main island. ...

History

The corporation was initially funded by overseas aid. In 1974 the

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

government provided NZ$450,000 for the construction of a

roll-on/roll-off Roll-on/roll-off (RORO or ro-ro) ships are cargo ships designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, buses, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using ...

ferry terminal at Mulifanua. In 1977 the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n government provided a ferry, the MV Queen Salamasina. The company was unprofitable for its first twenty years, and gained a reputation for inefficiency. In 1985 it bought a "luxury boat", only to sell it back to the original owners just two years later for less than it had paid for it. It finally started delivering dividends to the government in the late 1990's. In 2001 it expanded its fleet, adding the ''Samoa Express'' on the Apia - Tokelau route. In 2008 the company constructed a wharf and slipway at Satitoa in Aleipata to reduce travel time to American Samoa and allow vessels to be maintained locally. The new terminal was unpopular with exporters, and services were shifted back to Apia after the ''Lady Naomi'' was damaged due to the dock not being deep enough. In 2011 it opened its engineering facility in Apia. In 2012 it began providing bimonthly services to the

Northern Cook Islands The Northern Cook Islands is one of the two chains of atolls which make up the Cook Islands. Lying in a horizontal band between 9° and 13°30' south of the Equator, the chain consists of the atolls of Manihiki, Nassau, Penrhyn, Pukapuka, Rakaha ...

and to

Tokelau Tokelau (; ; known previously as the Union Islands, and, until 1976, known officially as the Tokelau Islands) is a dependent territory of New Zealand in the southern Pacific Ocean. It consists of three tropical coral atolls: Atafu, Nukunonu, a ...

. In 2019 - 2020 the company made a profit of $332,000, which was reduced due to the

2019 Samoa measles outbreak The 2019 Samoa measles outbreak began in September 2019. As of 6 January 2020, there were over 5,700 cases of measles and 83 deaths, out of a Samoan population of 200,874. Over three percent of the population were infected. The cause of the o ...

Fleet

Current

Samoa Shipping currently operates five vessels: * MV ''Lady Naomi'' (since 1999) * MV ''Lady Samoa III'' (since 2010) * MV ''Fotu o Samoa II'' * MV ''Fasefulu'' (since 2015) * MV ''Samoa Express II'' (since 2021)

Past

* MV ''Limulimutau'' * MV Queen Salamasina (1977—1999) * MV ''Puleono'' (1978—?) * MV '' Salafai'' * MV ''Tausala Samoa'' * MV ''Lady Samoa'' (1985—1987) * MV ''Fotu o Samoa'' * MV ''Lady Samoa II'' * MV ''Pacifica Express'' (ex- MV ''Tokelau'') (2013—2022) * MV ''Samoa Express'' (2001—2021)

References

{{reflist 1974 establishments in Samoa Government-owned companies of Samoa Shipping companies of Samoa Companies established in 1974