Subscribe to RSS feedPort authority warned that Tongan ferry was unsafe
The head of Tonga’s port authority raised concerns about the safety of the doomed ferry, Princess Ashika, with the country’s prime minister prior to the casualty, according to a letter leaked to a pro-democracy newspaper.
The Tongan ferry sank last month resulting in the loss of 74 lives.
Lupeti Vi’s letter implies that the ship lacked necessary documentation, may have been uninsured and had huge holes in the side of the vessel.
Maintenance work was carried out at night, allegedly without necessary permits.
According to the Lloyd’s Marine Intelligence Unit database, Princess Ashika had no current International Safety Management or International Ship and Port Facility Security code documentation.
No class or P&I club is recorded.
A representative of the 34-year-old vessel’s owner, the government-owned Shipping Corporation of Polynesia, denied that the company had anything to hide when contacted by Australian broadcasters.
Nocturnal maintenance was conducted simply to take advantage of downtime, he said.
Mr Vi said that although he was unhappy with the publication of the letter, he confirmed that it was genuine and said he stood by his claims.
Prime minister Fred Sevele has declined to comment on the matter until the completion of a Royal Commission of Inquiry, which is currently in progress.
Meanwhile, reports from Nuku’alofa — the scene of pro-democracy riots in 2006 in which eight people died — suggest that the Princess Ashika incident has revived political tensions and some commentators are predicting that riots could ensue.
Many Tongans believe that the ferry, bought from Fiji just six weeks before the tragedy, was not fit for use.
Public opinion has also been inflamed by claims that the Tongan Government turned down an offer of a modern ferry earlier this year, after a group of US-based Tongan expatriates proposed a joint venture in return for a cut of ticket revenue.
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