Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Manu‘a faipule, House Vice Speaker Fetu Fetui, used last Tuesday’s regular session of the House of Representatives to voice his frustration over the disruption faced by his constituents following the prolonged absence of the MV Manu‘atele. He said many families had planned travel around church, cultural, and village obligations, only to have those plans upended when the vessel was unexpectedly grounded.

The MV Manu‘atele was unable to make any trips to Manu‘a early last month after a U.S. Coast Guard inspection uncovered new mechanical and safety issues. These issues must be corrected before the Manu‘atele can resume service.

The grounding occurred just ahead of major annual events — including the Manu‘a Flag Day celebration and the annual conference of the Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa at its headquarters in Tafuna — leaving Manu’a residents scrambling for alternatives. Governor Pulaalii Nikolao Pula and his delegation traveled via chartered flights to Ta‘ū, and while people traveled by air, cargo and food supplies were moved separately using LCU charter vessels (MV Talitiga and MV Fotu o Samoa), ensuring Manu‘a communities were not left without essential goods.

Although the government chartered the MV Talitiga and MV Fotu o Samoa to maintain cargo service and provide transport for residents hoping to attend the CCCAS general conference in Tafuna, many families were unable to make the trip due to scarce charter seats and limited commercial flights, which added to frustrations already heightened by the grounding of the MV Manu‘atele.

House Vice Speaker Fetu Fetui added that it also affected Manu‘a residents living off‑island who had planned to save money by traveling to Manu‘a by boat after attending the CCCAS general conference at Kanana Fou. He said many families had coordinated their summer visits around the availability of the vessel, and the grounding of the MV Manu'atele forced them either to cancel their trips or absorb the higher cost of air travel.

Director of Port Administration Barney Sene offered his apologies for the inconvenience that the MV Manu'atele's grounding has caused. However, he emphasized that the safety of the vessel and its passengers is paramount above all travels and events planned and scheduled.

Director Sene reiterated it was imperative that the new issues identified by the USCG need to be addressed in order for the MV Manu'atele to attain its USCG Certificate of Inspection (COI) before it can make any voyages.

In an interview with the Port Administration Director last week, he stated that the MV Manu‘atele is expected to undergo a test run on the 14th of this month, a required step before the U.S. Coast Guard can clear the vessel to resume passenger service. He said the test run which will include passengers and cargo, will confirm whether recent mechanical and safety repairs meet inspection standards, and that the Manu‘atele will return to service only after the Coast Guard signs off on its Certificate of Inspection.

In the House of Representatives last week, the House Vice Speaker said the uncertainty surrounding the MV Manu‘atele’s return has only deepened frustrations in Manu‘a, noting that families had already faced disrupted travel plans for Flag Day and the CCCAS general conference. He emphasized that residents continue to rely on limited air and sea transport services, and that the community is anxiously awaiting the vessel’s clearance so normal travel can resume.

Transport between Manu‘a and Tutuila suffered another major setback last Tuesday when a Samoa Airways Twin Otter veered off course while landing at Fitiuta Airport.

Authorities reported that the aircraft left the runway shortly after touchdown, triggering an immediate emergency response but resulting in no fatalities. Port Administration Director Barney Sene said he and four senior staff members traveled to Ta‘ū to assess the scene, where the nose of the Twin Otter had broken off and the aircraft’s left wheel was buried under debris at its resting point. He said a formal report on their findings will be released soon.

Normal scheduled flights to Manu'a — for both Fitiuta Airport and Ofu Airport — resumed operations immediately after the incident.