By Martha Taumata Faavae
The Samoa Shipping Corporation (SSC) is in no panic to handle the combined holiday rush of the long Easter weekend and General Election to follow on the travel route from Mulifanua to Salelologa wharves come next April.
‘Bring it on’ would be a better call cry to sum up the level of confidence a senior SSC executive showed but who did not want to be named when asked by Newsline Samoa.
A confidence booster for the Corporation is the arrival of the MV Express II vessel with a loading capacity of more than 200 passengers.
The brand new $10m tala vessel is also capable of carrying up to 20 vehicles per trip.
“The plan is to start using the new vessel in the lead up to the Easter holiday and continue on to the general elections,” the senior executive said.
“With the Lady Samoa III and Fotu o Samoa working the route we should be able to cope with the rush.”
The Express II boasts of a faster trip of under an hour that the SSC believes will be welcomed by travellers on the route.
Easter is one of the peak traveling periods between the islands but the general elections to follow the holiday weekend is anticipated to create a huge added travel surge.
Voters are now required, under the risk of paying $100 fines, to travel to vote in their respective constituencies.
Special voting booths set up in previous elections to overcome the traveling are no longer offered for this general election.