The MV Sili was finally able to sail into and dock at the Ofu wharf last week, two-and-a-half years since it became inaccessible after Tropical Cyclone Olaf ripped through the Tutuila and Manu’a Islands and inflicted serious damage to the waterway.
Since that time, small crafts have had to transport people and cargo to and from vessels traveling in and out of Ofu Harbor.
The nightmare is now over, thanks to McConnell Dowell who completed the dredging of Ofu Harbor in six weeks.
But the good news doesn’t stop there. Project manager Mark Liersch explained that the delay in beginning the same work in Ta’u is the bad weather.
“We’re going to wait for the weather to clear up so we can start mobilizing our equipment to Ta’u,” Liersch said. “The trade winds are pushing the seas up, making it unsafe for us to travel.”
Depending on the weather conditions, work in Ta’u could begin as early as next week.
Liersch said that the Ta’u project will take about two months to complete. Both projects include dredging of berthing areas, channel entrances, turning basins, and breakwater repair.
Governor Togiola Tulafono, along with Port Administration director Matagi Ray McMoore and Captain Wally Thompson traveled to Ofu on board the MV Sili last week to inspect the work in Ofu which, together with the Ta’u project, costs $2 million which was awarded through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Togiola said “it was a great feeling,” being able to ride into the channel entrance and seeing the depth of the harbor and then finally docking to observe bustling wharf activity.
He added, “This is a great day for the people of Ofu and Olosega, who waited patiently and endured the inconvenience of the MV Sili not being able to dock at the wharf in Ofu, and therefore not being able to fully receive the much needed surface transportation between all the wharves of American Samoa.”
Furthermore, and the ability of the MV Sili to resume full service operations to Ofu wharf “is a great blessing for the people of Manu’a.” Although air service is available, “this is an important alternative means of transportation that allows both a convenient and an economical way for carrying passengers and freight between the islands.”
Togiola extends his gratitude to the people of Ofu, Olosega, and Ta’u “for persevering while we worked on the harbor in Ofu and Faleasao.”
He concluded by saying that the MV Sili is ideal for ocean service to Manu’a and he hopes our people will use the opportunity to travel and visit Manu’a. “The MV Sili is here, and the Manu’a wharves are open, so it’s time to promote true inter-island travel in American Samoa. Here today, gone to Manu’a.” |
