MV Princess Ashika
Princess Ashika pierside at Natovi Landing on 31 August 2008 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Olive Maru No. 1 |
| Builder | Shikoku Dockyard, Takamatsu, Japan |
| Yard number | 757 |
| Laid down | June 1972 |
| Completed | 27 September 1972 |
| Identification | IMO number: 7234002 |
| Name | Princess Ashika |
| Owner |
|
| Christened | 1985 |
| Name | Princess Ashika |
| Owner | Shipping Corporation of Polynesia Ltd |
| In service | 7 July 2009 |
| Identification | Call sign 3DSD |
| Fate | Sank 5 August 2009 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Ferry (RORO) |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 50.5 m (165 ft 8 in) |
| Beam | 13.2 m (43 ft 4 in) |
| Crew | 30 |
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MV Princess Ashika was an inter-island ferry which operated in the South Pacific kingdom of Tonga. This motorised vessel (MV) was built in 1972, and began sailing the Tongan route on 7 July 2009 only to sink less than a month later on 5 August. Official figures released by Operation Ashika on 19 August 2009, confirmed that 54 men were rescued, and 74 people were lost at sea. These include two bodies recovered and 72 missing (68 passengers and 4 crew), including five foreign nationals. Two of the missing passengers remain unidentified.
Tonga's transportation minister, Paul Karalus, resigned six days after the tragedy. The ship was replaced in October 2010 by the MV ‘Otuanga’ofa, which after a period of testing, entered service in December 2010.