Tongan ferry was 'rust bucket' inquiry told

Pictured, an underwater view of the Princess Ashika ferry. Photo / Supplied

The Princess Ashika was an old "rust bucket" and he had not revised a memorandum of agreement for purchasing the vessel, the man who was company secretary of the Shipping Corporation of Polynesia has told a Tongan royal commission.

The commission is investigating the August 5 sinking of the 37-year-old ferry with the loss of 74 people.

Company secretary Lord Dalgety QC told the inquiry the transport minister's submission was totally and utterly incorrect in stating that he [Dalgety] had revised a Memorandum of Agreement for the purchase of the vessel.

"I'm not going to be the fall guy for signing this contract or agreeing to it," he said.

Lord Dalgety told the inquiry, that former transport minister Paul Karalus had incorrectly submitted to the solicitor-general that he [Lord Dalgety] had revised a MOA in relation to the purchase of the Ashika, and said such a submission was "totally and utterly incorrect", the Matangi Tonga website reported.

He was asked by the counsel assisting the commission, Manuel Varitimos, "So Mr Karalus incorrectly informed the solicitor-general that you had revised the memorandum standard agreement?"

Lord Dalgety replied: "I did not revise and I would not have revised that piece of rubbish. I'd have put a line through it and simply said, 'Reject, unsatisfactory!'."

Lord Dalgety was asked by Mr Varitimos whether he knew what rust was and whether he saw any rust or had he looked for any rust, when he went on board the MV Princess Ashika after a special prayer service before its first sailing on July 4, 2009.

Lord Dalgety answered that he didn't look for rust and the first time he saw any evidence was when it was pointed out with a film, shown at an earlier hearing of the Ashika inquiry.

"Lord Dalgety, I suggest it was patently obvious for anyone that cared to look that Ashika was littered with rust and corrosion," Mr Varitimos said.

Lord Dalgety: "But I don't, I don't, I don't deny the conclusion you've come to, that the vessel was - to put it in lay terms - a rust bucket. There seems to be enough evidence to that effect."

He also said that anybody trained in such matters would certainly see it. He, on the other hand, did not have the time and he wasn't looking for rust and had no recollections of rust being obvious to him.

"It was a vessel that had been certified seaworthy," Lord Dalgety told the inquiry.

- NZPA