The Manu'a ferry replacement: what we know, what we don't, and when it might happen
A comprehensive look at the long-delayed vessel replacement and what the new DOT director is saying — and not saying — about the timeline.
American Samoa's Department of Transportation has been promising a replacement for the aging MV Sili ferry for years. The vessel, which serves the Manu'a Islands — Ofu, Olosega, and Ta'ū — is over 40 years old and has been out of service multiple times due to mechanical failures.
The DOT's new director, Tuilefano Va'aetai, told Talatala Le Ta'ui that federal funds have been secured for the replacement, but that procurement and approval processes could extend the timeline into late 2027 at the earliest.
For the approximately 2,000 residents of the Manu'a Islands, this is not an abstract bureaucratic matter. Without reliable ferry service, access to medical care, food staples, and commerce depends entirely on air service — which is weather-dependent and expensive.
The pulenu'u roundtable, broadcast last week, captured the human cost clearly. 'My people are waiting,' said the mayor of Ofu. 'Every month we wait is another month of hardship.'
Federal law requires competitive bidding for vessel procurement contracts above certain thresholds, and the DOT is in the early stages of that process.