A PASSENGER who sailed on the Princess Ashika's final voyage on August 5, 2009 and survived by climbing over the bottom of the vessel as it capsized, told the Supreme Court in Nuku'alofa that water was leaking into the cargo deck hours before the vessel sank.

Sione Ngalu, a missionary for the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga, in evidence on March 3, said it was his first voyage on the Ashika bound for Vava'u.

The Ashika departed Nuku'alofa around 4pm and he was travelling with another man named Tongia Lemoto. When they got into the vessel they put their belongings inside the passengers cabin before going up to the bridge where they stood outside on what seemed to be a veranda. They were still in Tongatapu waters and it was already getting dark around 7-8pm.

He noticed the floor on the passenger cabin was made of cement, which he thought was odd considering the vessel was made of steel.

Surging water

When he and Tongia went up outside the bridge area there was already someone lying down. He did not know it was the first mate, Semisi Pomale, a defendant, until after the sinking tragedy.

From his position he saw water coming through the right side at the bottom corner of the bow ramp. He saw water coming in but did not see it going out, he added.

Justice Robert Shuster asked the witness whether the crew wore any uniforms to distinguish themselves, and the witness answered that he did not see any uniforms.

As time went by, the water level was gradually until the whole cargo area was covered with water and the vessel began swaying from one side to the other.

There were vehicles parked inside the cargo deck and two were parked close to the front or bow ramp. There was also an ambulance and the water eventually reached the bottom of the vehicles.

"At one point I left where I was and went to the back, when I came back Semisi Pomale was gone."

He told the court that Semisi Pomale had laid outside the bridge for not more than an hour since the time they went up and first saw him there.

Capsized

The witness said when he came back to where he was outside the bridge he saw there were more people inside the bridge but he only knew one named Filipe Tau'ataina who was one of the crew.

"As we stayed outside the bridge we noticed the boat had started to tilt to the port (left) side. The vessel then tilted to the starboard (right) side. I then walked to the right side to see what was happening because I knew there was no way the vessel would return back to its normal position," he said.

He also said when he got to the right side he held onto the railings and he saw the vehicles in the cargo were loose and moving from one side the other. "The vehicles were still inside the cargo area but the water had engulfed the vehicles and I knew then the boat would sink," he said.

"I managed to climb over the wall on the right side of the vessel, which was the high part as the left side was going down. My leg then got caught in a hole and at this time I heard the voice of a man, woman and baby crying," he recollected.

Capsized

He told the court he managed to get his foot loose and then walked to the back or the stern area when vessel titled again and turned to the side with the bottom up. "I climbed over the bottom of the vessel as it capsized and it sank very quickly," he added.

Sione said before he jumped into the water he saw lights and a life raft and he jumped into the ocean and swam towards the life raft. A voice called to swim to another life raft as the one he was holding onto was already ripped.

"I swam to the second life raft and when I climbed in there were already five people there." They remained drifting for three hours before rescue came, he said.

The Crown Prosecutor asked the witness to clarify that when vessel titled to the left to when it turned upside down and capsized it was less than five minutes and he agreed.

The witness also confirmed that he did not hear anything being told to the passengers before the vessel sank apart from Filipe telling them to remain on the bridge.

The trial continued on March 4, in its third week of sitting.