Major port renovation set to begin readying “New Seaport Facilities”

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Port Administration relocated to Pago Plaza last year to ready Port of Pago Pago for the  upgrade to the “New Seaport Facilities” - funded with $20 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Now the work has begun.

The entire building will be demolished, and the ASG Oversight Office for ARPA’s latest performance report, as of July 30, states that 5% of the project is completed as the demolition phase began last month.

The project is to expand and improve seaport facilities. An upgraded seaport facility will not only address the public health impacts of the pandemic, but will ensure the ability to maintain operations that are essential to all commercial activity on island.

Additionally, the proposed projects will accommodate for social distancing and quarantine measures that will be able to better receive ships and crew thereby reducing delays and disruptions. The new layout of the ASG facilities will also ensure adequate space between inspection bays, to ensure inspections and flow of goods are not interrupted.

Just over $40 million is allocated for three Port Administration economic development projects for airport, seaport and inter-island transportation funded with American Samoa’s share of the $479 million from ARPA. (See Samoa News edition Oct. 07, 2021 edition for details of the projects.)

For the inter-island transportation project, the latest Oversight Office report provides additional information. It states that $6.5 million is allocated for this project and the funds will go toward the procurement of two tugboats and two Landing Craft Units. And the purchase of the two tugboats is “in progress” but no other information was available at press time on the purchase.

The project description points out that transportation is an essential aspect of business operations in Manu’a and overall economic development. American Samoa has a limited number of vessels that can adequately navigate the wharfs in these islands.

Additionally, the islands are remote and difficult to access, an issue that was exacerbated by the pandemic and highlighted the need for adequate transportation for goods and services to a population dependent on imports.

Meanwhile, the Port Administration recently upgraded and implemented the VoIP (voice over internet protocol) systems for seaport and airport operations to improve communications.

Seaport operations contact info is as follows: Main business office 633-4251; Port police 633-7834; and Water Transportation division 633-4160. For Airport operations contact info: Airport main office 699-9101; Airport police 699-9116 and Airport Rescue Firefighting station 699-9181.