Passenger Ferry Delivered to Samoa
NKK delivered a roll-on, roll-off (RO-RO) passenger / vehicles ferry to the government of Samoa, a Polynesian island nation in the South Pacific, in a ceremony held in the Samoan capital of Apia on December 22, 1998. The 990 gross-ton ferry was built at NKK's Tsurumi Shipyard with an official development assistance (ODA)grant from the Japanese government. Upon completion in late November, the ferry named "Lady Naomi" sailed from the Tsurumi Shipyard and arrived at the port of Apia on December18 for official delivery to Samoa. Marking a new opportunity to enhance friendly Japan-Samoa ties, the delivery ceremony was attended by some 600 guests, including Samoan Transport Minister and Mrs. Hans J. Keil, other government officials, and shipping corporation executives. Attendants from Japan included Japanese Ambassador to New Zealand Jun Kawashima and NKK Director Takehiko Kamijo. After the ceremony, the guests were taken on a tour aboard the Lady Naomi. The Lady Naomi is an ocean-going 220-passenger ferry which will regularly sail between the port of Apia on Upolu I Island and the port of Pago Pago on American Samoa. It replaces an over20-year-old ferry and is hoped to become a main transport artery for Samoan citizens. Despite its small size, the ferry was designed to fully comply with the latest international passenger ferry and RO-RO ship regulations, such as USCG and IMO rules, while incorporating the most advanced safety appliances to satisfy the latest SOLAS requirements for short international voyages.The main particulars of the Lady Naomi are:
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