
Thirty Samoan sailors left the country last week to resume work on off island ships .
Samoa Shipping Services continues to place sailors with overseas shipping companies after the mass repatriation at the height of COVID-19 last year.
SSS is the government authority that finds work on international shipping companies for sailors who graduate from the maritime training center in Samoa.
Chief Executive Officer of SSS, Lautimu’ia Uelese Va’ai, told TV1Samoa that his office has now placed 217 sailors on overseas ships
He said 191 sailors are now working on cruise ships and 26 work on freighters.
Lautimu’ia said many sailors had written requesting for work as Samoa’s economic situation deepens.
That’s why his office started looking for work and by the end of June they had placed 200 sailors with companies overseas. SSS hopes to have 500 placed with shipping companies overseas before the end of the year.