Samoa's newly built wharf at Satitoa Aleipata which was aimed at cutting times for ferry trips to American Samoa has been closed for reasons the government's Ports Authority is not making public.
The Tautua Samoa opposition party leader says a recent parliament committee's visit to the public funded project had found the facilities were damaged.
The Satitoa wharf was built about five years ago at a cost of about eight million US dollars.
The government owned Shipping Corporation on the completion of the project had started operating its weekly inter-island ferry trips between Satitoa and American Samoa.
But after less than a year it decided to return its operation to the main wharf in Apia.
The opposition leader, Palusalue Faapo II, says the government should consider giving the private sector a chance to run the wharf to recover wasted public monies.
