 Photograph of MV Princess Ashika pierside at Natovi Landing, 31 August 2008. By John Ray.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | MV Olive Maru No. 1 |
| Builder | Shikoku Dockyard, Takamatsu, Japan[1] |
| Yard number | 757 |
| Laid down | June 1972 |
| Completed | 27 September 1972 |
| Identification | IMO number: 7234002 |
 | |
| Name | MV Princess Ashika |
| Owner |
|
| Christened | 1985 |
 | |
| Name | MV Princess Ashika |
| Owner | Shipping Corporation of Polynesia Ltd[3] |
| In service | 7 July 2009 |
| Identification | Call sign 3DSD[2] |
| Fate | Sank 5 August 2009 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Ferry (RORO) |
| Tonnage | 690 GT (gross tonnage); 223 metric tons deadweight (DWT) |
| Length | 50.5 m (165 ft 8 in) |
| Beam | 13.2 m (43 ft 4 in) |
| Crew | 30 |
.svg)  Location of sinking Princess Ashika sank approximately 86 km northeast of Nukuʻalofa. | |
The 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.[4]
Tonga's transportation minister, Paul Karalus, resigned six days after the tragedy.[5] The ship was replaced in 2010 by the MV ‘Otuanga’ofa.[6]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
miramarwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Ship and Platform Names, United States National Weather Service.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
27 people missing from Princess Ashika sinkingwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Tribute – list of casualties – Matangi Tonga
- ^ Lundy, Sharon (11 August 2009). "Tongan transport minister resigns". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 12 August 2009.
- ^ "New Tonga ferry checked ahead of planned launch". RNZ. 19 October 2010. Retrieved 18 March 2023.