Results for MV Princess Ashika

A Senior Marine Engineer, Lou Pale, one of the three surveyors who surveyed the MV Princess Ashika after it arrived in Nuku'alofa from Fiji on July 2, 2009 told the Supreme Court on Wednesday, February 23 that he had never surveyed a vessel with so many deficiencies as the Ashika and the vessel was unsuitable to sail on Tongan waters.

A Tongan maritime expert who was shown pictures of the MV Princess Ashika vessel a few months before it arrived in Tonga on July 1 2009, told the Supreme Court in Nuku'alofa he had advised the defendant John Jonesse, that the design of the vessel was not suitable for Tongan waters.

A jury of three women and four men from Tongatapu was selected this morning in the Nuku'alofa Supreme Court to try four men and the SCP charged with manslaughter by negligence in the sinking of the Princess Ashika ferry in 2009, in a trial that is expected to last for a month.

The Government of Tonga this morning, November 4 handed out about $1.2 million pa'anga to the next of kin of 14 victims who died in the sinking of the MV Princess Ashika ferry in August last year. Each family received a cheque of $80,000 pa'anga.

It is standard procedure that when a purchase of a vessel or aircraft is being considered one normally has a survey performed. This would have brought the "intent to purchase" to a screeching halt when the severe corrosion was observed. - John H.G Emberson.

The tragedy of the MV Princess Ashika sinking is that the causes of the disaster were all easily preventable and the 74 deaths were completely senseless, an inquiry into the sinking of the Tongan ferry on August 5 last year, has concluded.

The final report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Sinking of the MV Princess Ashika on August 5 was this morning presented to HM King George Tupou V at Consular House, and later at mid-day to the Chairman of the Whole House Committee of the Tongan Legislative Assembly, Noble Lasike.

The legal counsel to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the sinking of the MV Princess Ashika made their final oral submissions on Friday evening, March 12 at the Fa'onelua Convention Centre.

The Company Secretary of the Shipping Corporation of Polynesia Ltd Lord Dalgety is under fire at the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the sinking of the MV Ashika on February 25, after evidence revealed a "scandalous contract" of employment and possible use of public funds to finance personal and first class travels in his other role as Chairman of the Electricity Commission.