More tragedies just over horizon

Pacific Islanders have no choice but to rely on old and often unseaworthy ships. Photo / Martin Sykes

When boarding a ferry in the Pacific, islanders pray.

It's not just smooth sailing or a timely arrival they're wishing for - they hope to arrive at all.

The small countries of the Pacific have among the worst record of boating safety and regulation compliance in the world.

As a general rule, the passenger and cargo ferries that service the huge expanse of Pacific Ocean are ageing, poorly-maintained, ill-suited to deep waters and built for an entirely different purpose.

That's unsurprising, given the Pacific islands, constrained by small budgets, often buy their vessels fourth-hand after they have been traded down the ranks from the First to Third World.

In recent times, there is no more tragic example of this trend than the sinking of the Tongan passenger ferry the Princess Ashika.

The 37-year-old boat, purchased fifth-hand from Fiji in July, went down in the dead of night on August 5.

It took with it 75 men, women and children, who got no warning of impending disaster, and left in its wake a litany of questions about the scale of the tragedy.

A royal commission of inquiry, trying to piece together an explanation, has been overwhelmed with disturbing facts.

There was the freight on deck that was poorly lashed down, the huge corroded holes that could fill with water and the captain, who slept throughout the ordeal, waking just in time to issue a mayday call - moments before the ferry sank.

There are other examples, too. About 40 people drowned off tiny Kiribati when an overcrowded and ill-equipped boat sank in July.

On the even smaller isle of Tokelau, locals warn that their decrepit commuter ferry is ripe for a disaster, but they can't afford to replace it.

"The Ashika is a very sad, very recent, very visual example of things going wrong in Pacific waters," says Captain Barry Young, an expert from the New Zealand Maritime School.

"But the problem is far wider ranging than just this disaster."

At its root, says Captain Young, is a geographic and financial dilemma.

"Here you've got thousands of tiny little islands scattered across a massive area of ocean.

"Regular services are absolutely needed to move people and goods, but the quantities are so small that there is very little money to be made," he says.

In this profit-vacuum, corners get cut.

Maintenance also suffers. Most countries have strict regulations on boat upkeep but despite the best intentions, money is too tight to go by the book.

On top of this, maritime skills are lacking, thanks to funding shortfalls for local training programmes, and "island time" keeps progress slow, the expert says.

"They [Pacific Islanders] are lovely people, great to work with, but it can be so frustratingly slow-paced getting things done."

The result is a fleet of 1800 Pacific passenger and cargo boats, with what Australian and New Zealand mariners say have "very average" standards.

As Tongan journalist Pesi Fonua says, it's a problem that must be fixed, because Islanders are desperately reliant on their services, and will use them regardless of the dangers.

"You might be shocked to know that many Islanders would take a boat even if they knew it was sinking, with the thought they can bail it out on the way," the editor of Matangi Tonga says.

"I myself have travelled on overloaded boats carrying drums of coconut milk, petrol, chickens, whatever. People are holding on to the sides, smoking. We pray, and when we arrive we feel lucky.

"It sounds crazy, I know, but people can't afford to fly and they can't afford to wait a week for the next boat to show up."

Mr Fonua says his main concern is that cleaning up the services will lift fare prices too high for locals, who will be forced to find cheaper, and ultimately less safe, alternatives.

Captain Young says this is a very real concern.

"If there were newer, perfectly maintained vessels around, no one could afford to use them, so we need to find some compromise."

He says the solution is money, "but where it comes from and how it is spent are the big questions".

Captain John Hogan, manager of the Regional Maritime Programme that is linked to the Pacific Islands Forum, says it's time to look past the financial need and get practical.

"This is a multibillion-dollar problem," Captain Hogan says, "and however much the Australia and New Zealand governments have to throw at it, it will never fill the gap."

His organisation is taking a pragmatic approach by accepting that standards are not being met, and adjusting requirements accordingly.

"We're being realistic," he says. "For example, if a boat can't get its life rafts regularly surveyed, as many can't, then we need to make sure they've got something like wooden floats on board that don't need regular maintenance.

"Insisting they stick to the international regulations won't help anyone."

All agree the Princess Ashika disaster has the potential to change the way things are done.

"It's been like the modern Titanic of the Pacific," Captain Young says.

"It's highlighted a major problem and shaken everyone up.

"But the concern is it will just improve things in Tonga. And, as you can see, we need improvements everywhere."

- AAP