Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Local businessman and co-owner of locally based US longline fishing fleet, Carlos Sanchez, has been appointed by Gov. Lemanu Peleti Palepoi Sialega Mauga, as new executive director of the American Samoa Shipyard Services Authority.

Sanchez “shall exercise the authority necessary to discharge the duties and general responsibility of the executive director of the Shipyard Services Authority,” said Lemanu in his Feb. 8th memorandum appointing Sanchez to the post.

In the same memo, the governor appointed Lea Sailiata Fano as a member of the Shipyard board of directors, joining the other 10 members appointed last month by the governor. (See Samoa News edition Feb. 2nd for details.)

Sanchez takes over the leadership role from Fepuleai Siakisone Liu, who was chief executive office of the shipyard in the last months of the Lolo Administration.

Sanchez was the first board chairman after the government took over full control and operation of the shipyard when then-Gov. Togiola Tulafono — established via executive order in May 2011 —  the Shipyard Service Authority and appointed a board.

Sanchez held the board chairman post from June 2011 but voluntary resigned in early February 2013, after the new administration of Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga served letters of termination — effective Jan. 31, 2013 — on three board members at that time.

During his tenure, Sanchez at times also served as acting executive director of the shipyard.  He was also one of locals who was on the forefront selected by the Togiola Administration to be part of the team that surveyed and cleaned up the shipyard when it was taken over by the government, after being contracted to the private sector for many years.

"When many doubted that we could make the shipyard work again, we proved everyone wrong, and most of that credit goes directly to the Samoan workforce at the shipyard,” Sanchez said in a Samoa News interview before stepping down as board chairman at the time.

He also said at the time that the shipyard is an integral part of developing American Samoa’s economy, and it needed to be prioritized.

MYD Samoa Inc, was the last off-island firm to manage and operate the shipyard.