A New Zealand engine mechanic David Shaw who inspected the main engines of the MV Princess Ashika in Fiji on April 2009 told the Supreme Court in Nuku'alofa on February 24, that he never signed an Audit Report dated April 6-8, 2009 nor did he authorise anyone to do so.

David is the Director of Shaw Diesels Ltd in Auckland and the sixth witness to be called by the Crown. David told the Crown Prosecutor 'Aminiasi Kefu that he saw the Audit Report for the first time in September 2009, when a Transport investigator from Wellington interviewed him.

He told 'Aminiasi that the signature on the Audit document was not his and the company that was named in the report was not his company's name. His company's name is Shaw Diesels Ltd. and not Shaw Diesel Services as it was stated on the document.

Signature

"Did you authorise anyone to sign your name on this audit document," asked the Crown Prosecutor. David answered no, nor did he authorise Kerry, John or Shipping Corporation of Polynesia Ltd to sign his signature.

He was then asked if he noticed anything else that was unusual about the signature. David said that he is left handed but the signature on the document appeared to have been written by a right handed writer. He then wrote his signature and was shown to Justice Robert Shuster and the jury.

Engine

David an expert on diesel engines said that in April 2009 he was in Suva for another job when he was contacted by John Jonesse to come and generally look at the two main engines on the Ashika vessel.

He said he was picked up from his hotel by John and Kerry and they went to the wharf where the Ashika was docked. They boarded the vessel and sailed from Natovi to Levuka on flat coastal water.

They stayed overnight at Levuka and returned to Suva the following morning.

The Crown Prosecutor asked David for his first impression of the vessel? David replied that it looked a bit "tired" meaning it was clear the vessel was old and was rusted, but he admitted that he has no maritime expertise to determine whether the vessel was seaworthy or not as he was just a diesel engine mechanic to look at the transmission of the vessel.

"I was there to look at the engines and that is what I did," said David.

Leaking

He said that he noticed that the heat exchange on the generator sets was leaking with water.

David told the court that during their sail to Levuka he heard a knock coming from the engine "which was not normal".

He also said that the exhaust pipe needed to be replaced because it had deteriorated and it was overheating the engine room where people must work to service the engine.

Engine

David told the court that the diesel engine on the Ashika was a slow speed Daihatsu engine, manufactured only in Japan where parts are still made. He said that it was not easy to get parts for such an engine and one have to order them directly from Japan, and it could take time.

He said that when they return to Suva from Lautoka he talked to Jonesse about the main engines and the generator sets and he told him that the generator sets must be repaired and he was also concerned about the knock sound from the engine where it came from poor timing or something else.

"What was Jonesse's response?" asked the Crown Prosecutor. David said that John replied yes.

David said that after their journey to Levuka, he again saw the Ashika in Nuku'alofa in July 2009 during a visit to Tonga.

Cross-examination

Laki Niu the counsel for Jonesse wanted to know what David meant when he said that the vessel looked tired.

David answered that there are many vessels in the Pacific which are older than the Ashika but not many of them were powered by Daihatsu engines. A Daihatsu engine is a slow speed engine with 750 rotations in one minute.

"I did not look at the engine internally just externally and it looked good," he said. "The problem with the knocks that I heard, I told John it should be fixed."

He said John told him he would tell the former owners Patterson Brothers to fix it.

Jonesse has been charges with eight counts, including forgery and knowingly dealing with a forgery document in relation to David Shaw report.