By Michael Morrah
The New Zealand man who went to inspect the ferry Princess Ashika before it was purchased by the Tongan government has conceded a marine survey on the vessel was never carried out.
John Jonesse is the chief executive and managing director of the Polynesian Shipping Corporation and is giving evidence at a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the sinking of the vessel - in which 74 people drowned.
Mr Jonesse was in charge of providing information about the Princess Ashika to the government.
The royal commission are now demanding answers from Mr Jonesse about what state the vessel was in, when it was purchased and what safety checks were carried out.
Mr Jonnese's role was to make recommendations to the government about its purchase, but the inquiry heard he had a marketing background and no marine qualifications.
He was the only individual who looked at the vessel before it was purchased from the Patterson Brothers in Fiji.
It has now been revealed that no marine survey was carried out and no one from the transport department inspected the vessel either.
Under questioning, Mr Jonesse accepted surveying a vessel is a necessary and important prerequisite. But in his affidavit he stated that Transport Ministry surveyors were asked to attend the inspection of the vessel while it was still in Suva but they didn't.
While Mr Jonesse accepted there was corrosion on the vessel, the inquiry was told that at the time of purchase he told the Shipping Corporation Board that the vessel was “in a good mechanical condition”.
He later conceded that his description was “inadequate”.
Mr Jonesse says he was shown maintenance documents by the former ship owners, however he couldn't provide those documents as evidence to the commission.
3 News did make an application to record the audio of witnesses as they gave evidence and were told that would be allowed. However, early this morning a 3 News camera and set of recordings were seized by court staff and deleted as police watched.
The hardline approach is a sign of how sensitive the inquiry is and a reminder how much is riding on the job the commission has to do.
3 News