Ferry loss highlights transport problem

The Tongan ferry which sank on Wednesday was part of an ageing under-funded Pacific transport fleet which urgently needed replacing, say shipping experts.

The seaworthiness of the Princess Ashika has come under scrutiny after it sank only a month after being commissioned as an inter-island ferry. Two passengers have been confirmed dead and 93 are missing.

Built in Japan in 1972, the boat was bought by government-owned Shipping Corporation of Polynesia to service Tonga's domestic shipping route. It was a stop-gap measure, due to be replaced by a new $35 million ferry in 2011.

New Zealand Maritime School senior tutor Barry Young said a major report commissioned for a Pacific Island political forum identified the urgent need to update an unsafe fleet of passenger ferries.

Mr Young said the ferry services usually served tiny islands with small amounts of passengers and cargo, and therefore struggled to remain sustainable.

"There is no doubt there is a problem with the general age of the ships that are used. Without proper funding it is difficult to keep them going or provide training for crew members."

The Princess Ashika replaced the MV Olovaha, which government officials deemed in poor physical condition and unsafe for carrying passengers.

Tongan Transport Minister Paul Karalus said the Princess Ashika had been recently inspected, and there was "no question about its seaworthiness".

But Thomas Uata - whose family runs a competing inter-island ferry MV Pupupaki - told the Herald the Princess Ashika had a reputation as a boat that broke down regularly and could not handle rough weather.

"There has been a hush-hush culture in our industry about the unseaworthiness of the MV Olavaha and MV Ashika. We have known for years about this but the issue has been buried.

"The inner-islands services are barely sustainable, and the Government cannot afford to impose the same sorts of standards as in Australia or New Zealand."

Mr Uata's father 'Uliti, chief executive of Uata Shipping and a member of Parliament, had advised the Government against the purchase of the ferry. "He knew it spent most of its time broken down at its former post in Fiji." said Mr Uata.

Prime Minister John Key said the New Zealand Government was concerned about substandard transport in the Pacific, and was already working to improve ferry services in other islands, such as Tokelau.

He told One News: "This comes on the back of the loss of another ferry a few weeks ago in [Kiribati]. I think it's a sign of the fact there are real issues with the quality of some of the ships that are operating in the Pacific."

Shipping Corporation of Polynesia said the Princess Ashika was licensed to carry 200 passengers plus crew, suggesting it was not overcrowded when it sank. The boat was believed to be carrying 141 passengers.