Govt told old ferry was bad buy: MP

The Princess Ashika

The Tongan Government should never have bought the ferry that sank last week because it was not suitable for Pacific waters, says a senior politician.

People's Representative 'Uiliti Uata told the Herald yesterday he had objected in Parliament to the purchase of the Princess Ashika because he did not believe it was suitable for use in Tonga.

"The bow and stern are open and the side is open. It is only for use close to the shoreline, for journeys no more than 15km or 20km," he said.

"I also objected on the grounds that it was too old, 37 years, and that it had been poorly maintained. In many visits to Fiji I saw it there on the slipway many times, being patched up."

The vessel capsized last Wednesday carrying 141 passengers. Only two have been confirmed dead and 93 are missing.

Tonga's Transport Minister Paul Karalus has repeatedly said the Princess Ashika was fully certified and seaworthy. He said yesterday the ferry was licensed to carry up to 396 passengers and cargo and would not have been allowed to sail if it did not meet maritime safety standards.

He denied that concerns had been raised with the Government about its seaworthiness before the tragedy.

"We are confident that the actual [maritime safety] requirements internationally are met and that is subject to audit," he said.

Mr Uata said he would confront Mr Karalus when Parliament resumed this week.

Meanwhile, the ferry's captain, Maka Tuputupu, told TV3 last night he was pressured to continue sailing the ferry though it was in a bad condition.

"There is no time to stop the boat from running because it is ... you know the business. They need money, to run the boat all the time - and they have no time to prepare the boat," Mr Tuputupu said.

"The Government [was] wrong to run the boat. Because the Government knows everything about the boat, because they know - they surveyed the boat."

The last to get off the sinking vessel, Mr Tuputupu said he saw the keel going under water before he escaped.

The Princess Ashika was built in Japan in 1972 and bought by the Government-owned Shipping Corporation of Polynesia to service Tonga's domestic shipping route.

It was a stop-gap measure and was due to be replaced by a new $35 million ferry in 2011.

It had been in Tonga for only six weeks when it sank, having come from Fiji where it had operated for 24 years.

Its previous owners, Patterson Brothers, told the Herald the boat had run smoothly and that they had sold it in good condition.

Shipping director George Patterson said: "It is not right for me to speculate on what happened. But questions need to be asked of the crew and management."

He said he sent his crew with the boat to train its Tongan staff for two months.

But his crew were sent back to Fiji after two weeks.

Mr Patterson said regardless of the condition of the boat, mistakes in cargo handling could have easily sunk it.

"If reports that cargo was not strapped down are correct ... even in a new vessel, if cargo is not lashed down, you will be in trouble."

Patterson Brothers were fined in 2003 for poor maintenance and safety standards which led to the sinking of another ship, MV Olovau II.