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Princess Ashika, the ferry that sank 86 km northeast of the Tongan capital Nuku'alofa - Source: Reuters -
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When boarding a ferry in the Pacific, islanders pray. And it's not just a smooth sailing or timely arrival they're wishing for - they just hope to arrive.
The small countries of the Pacific have among the worst record of boating safety and regulation compliance in the world.
As a general rule, the passenger and cargo ferries that service the huge expanse of Pacific Ocean are ageing, poorly maintained, ill-suited to deep waters and originally built for an entirely different purpose.
That's unsurprising given the Pacific islands, constrained by small budgets, often buy their vessels fourth-hand after they've been traded down the ranks from the first to third world.
In recent times, there is no more tragic example of this trend than the sinking of the Tongan passenger ferry, Princess Ashika .
The 37-year-old boat purchased fifth-hand from Fiji in July went down in the dead of night on August 5.
It took with it 75 men, women and children, who got no warning of impending disaster, and left in its wake a litany of questions about the scale of the tragedy.
A Royal Commission of Inquiry charged with trying piece together an explanation has been overwhelmed with disturbing options.
There was the freight on deck that was poorly lashed down, the huge corroded holes that could fill with water and the captain who slept throughout the ordeal, waking just it time to issue a mayday call moments before it sank.
There are other examples too. About 40 people drowned off tiny Kiribati when an overcrowded and ill-equipped boat sank in July. On the even smaller isle of Tokelau, locals warn that their decrepit commuter ferry is ripe for a disaster but they can't afford to replace it.
"The Ashika is a very sad, very recent, very visual example of things going wrong in Pacific waters," says Captain Barry Young, an expert with the New Zealand Maritime School.
"But the problem is far wider ranging than just this disaster."
At its root, says Young, is a geographic and financial dilemma.
"Here you've got thousands of tiny little islands scattered across a massive area of ocean. Regular services are absolutely needed to move people and goods, but the quantities are so small that there is very little money to be made," he says.
It is in this profit vacuum that corners get cut.
Shipping companies, both government-run and private enterprises, buy older boats that have typically been passed from wealthy western countries down to the eastern Mediterranean, across to the Philippines or its neighbours before arriving in the Pacific.
"Most of them are fourth- or fifth-hand and you can really tell," Young says.
Maintenance also suffers. Most countries have strict regulations on boat upkeep but despite the best intentions, money is too tight to go by the book.
On top of this, maritime skills are lacking thanks to funding shortfalls for local training programs, and "island time" keeps progress slow, the expert says.
"They're lovely people, great to work with, but it can be so frustratingly slow-paced getting things done."
The product is a fleet of 1,800 Pacific passenger and cargo boats with what Australian and New Zealand mariners judge "very average" standards.
And, as Tongan journalist Pesi Fonua says, it's a problem that must be fixed because islanders are desperately reliant on their services and will use them regardless of the dangers.
"You might be shocked to know that many islanders would take a boat even if they knew it was sinking, with the thought they can bail it out on the way," the editor of Matangi Tonga says.
"I myself have travelled on overloaded boats carrying drums of coconut milk, petrol, chickens, whatever. People are holding onto the sides, smoking. We pray and when we arrive we feel lucky.
"It sounds crazy, I know, but people can't afford to fly and they can't afford to wait a week for the next boat to show up."
Fonua says his main concern is that cleaning up services will lift fare prices too high for locals, who will be forced to find cheaper and ultimately less safe alternatives.
Young says this is a very real concern.
"If there were newer, perfectly-maintained vessels around no one could afford to use them, so we need to find some compromise."
He says the solution is money, "but where it comes from and how it is spent are the big questions".
Captain John Hogan, manager of the Pacific Islands Forum-linked Regional Maritime Program, says it's time to look past the financial need and get practical.
"This is a multi-billion dollar problem," Hogan says. "And however much the Australia and New Zealand governments have to throw at it, it will never fill the gap."
His organisation is taking a pragmatic approach by accepting that standards are not being met and adjusting requirements accordingly.
"We're being realistic," he says.
"For example, if a boat can't get its life rafts regularly surveyed, as many can't, then we need to make sure they've got something like wooden floats on board that don't need regular maintenance.
"Insisting they stick to the international regulations won't help anyone."
On the future, all the men agree the Ashika disaster has the potential to change the way things are done.
"It's been like the modern Titanic of the Pacific," Young says.
"It's highlighted a major problem and shaken everyone up.
"But the concern is it will just improve things in Tonga. And as you can see we need improvements everywhere."
