Tongan Ferries

In 2009 Tonga was hit by disaster: the passenger ferry Princess Ashika sank, killing 74 Tongan. In 2011 the New Zealand Prime Minister John Key sent experts to Tonga to look at the state of its ferries and found that ‘significant risks to the safety of life’ still exist. Their reports were never published. The World Bank made their own assessment, concluding that many of the vessels in operation were unseaworthy. Yet the vessels continue their service. The situation facing the 4000 people of Eua was so dangerous, the small community set about fundraising to buy their own boat. Why was a report commissioned only to keep the findings secret? Why was no aid directed towards fixing up the boats? And how far did the tiny community of Eua get in their quest to buy their own boat? This investigation tries to provide some answers.