Tri Marine intends to operate its Samoa Tuna Processors plant in Atu’u, just opened last year, as a logistics hub in support of its trading activity in the Western Pacific region.
Tri Marine announced today that it is suspending tuna canning operations indefinitely beginning December 11.
At present the cannery has 800 employees.
Tri Marine spokesperson Heidi Happonen says employees were told yesterday of the suspension of canning operations.
She said Tri Marine hopes that by giving employees 60-days notice they will have enough time to find new jobs.
A limited number of employees will be retained to take care of the logistic hub, including the operation of the dock and the cold storages.
Happonen said exact number of employees who will be retained is not certain at this time.
Asked what it would take for STP to remain here, Happonen said, “It’s difficult to predict the future of the tuna business in American Samoa at this time due to a number of factors outside of our control, such as the cost and abundance of tuna raw material, changes in free trade agreements, access to fishing grounds, the appeal of US-produced canned tuna in the market, market demand for higher quality sustainable and traceable tuna products, etc.”
She said the focus now is on trying to ease transitions for employees and continuing to deliver high-quality tuna to their customers.
