The Fa’atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi government has renamed the latest inter-Samoa ferry MV Lady Naomi 60, after the country’s first female Prime Minister.
Minister for Transport Olo Fiti Va’ai told Parliament, last week, the change was to be consistent with past decisions — where ferries servicing the two Samoas are named Naomi and ferries to Savai’i are named Lady Samoa.
The new $66.74 million passenger vessel funded by the Japanese government will succeed MV Lady Naomi, which is servicing the route for over two decades.
The former administration initially changed the name of the new vessel from MV Lady Naomi to MV Lady Samoa IV but Olo told parliament the name Lady Samoa is particularly for vessels servicing the Mulifanua to Salelologa route.
“As for our international passenger vessel servicing the Samoa and American Samoa route, it is called Lady Naomi so as the Minister and the Government of the day, I hereby declare that this new vessel that will replace the Lady Naomi, will be named Lady Naomi 60 to also mark the celebration of our 60 years of independence this year.”
The new vessel was funded under Japan’s grant assistance program and was officially launched in April in Hiroshima, Japan.
It features an environment-friendly design with consideration for passenger comfort, advanced technology throughout and is equipped to handle a wide variety of cargo shipments.
The vessel is scheduled to arrive in Samoa in September this year, according to the Minister.
