The government has moved to ban overseas aircraft and vessels from refuelling in Samoa as global supply disruptions linked to the United States-Iran conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz drive up fuel prices.

Speaking at his regular press conference, Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt said the decision follows a cabinet meeting on Friday and reflects growing concern about maintaining adequate local fuel reserves, an area he said is beyond government control.

While fuel prices have risen, the prime minister said Samoa “remains among the cheapest in the Pacific,” noting that the government has limited influence over international pricing.

According to numerous reports, Pacific island nations remain particularly vulnerable to fuel price shocks due to their reliance on imports and high shipping costs linked to geographic isolation.

“What is important is that we have fuel available for our people to move around,” he said.

Laaulialemalietoa said instructions have been issued through the Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure (MWTI) to stop allowing foreign aircraft and ships to refuel locally.

“There was a discussion to ban planes from stopping to refuel here,” he said, adding that some aircraft had been landing solely to refuel before departing. Similar restrictions will apply to overseas vessels.

He said it is no longer sustainable given current supply concerns. "We need to save our supply for our own people," said Laaulialemalietoa. "We need to prepare for the availability of our stock."

To manage fuel availability, the government will introduce a monitoring system based on three alert levels, green, orange and red, to guide response measures during shortages. The Prime Minister noted that Samoa is currently on green.

Earlier, the Samoa Observer reported that the Samoa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) had called for a predefined framework to temporarily reduce or suspend fuel excise taxes and import duties if global prices reach “amber” or “red” thresholds.
Laaulialemalietoa said the first measure would be to scale back the use of government vehicles.

The prime minister also said there has been no discussion on increasing electricity prices, but warned that higher fuel costs could affect operations that rely on generators.