Captain Viliami Vi, a lecturer at the Tonga Maritime Institute, an experienced master mariner in both Tonga and abroad, said Mr Jonesse told him he had found a replacement vessel for the former inter-island ferry, MV Olovaha.
But Mr Vi said the design of the vessel was wrong, because the ship was built to sail in sheltered waters and not meant for the open water, the Matangi Tonga newspaper said.
Mr Jonesse ignored his advice and went on about how good the vessel was even though he was told the ship had too many openings that weren't suitable for the operation of open waters in Tonga.
"The first thing that I looked at on the vessel on the pictures -- the main thing that really struck me was these ... these big holes, openings on the side of the vessel and especially the bow -- and how low it was," said Mr Vi.
"It was not watertight, meaning fully covered, enclosed. It was all fully open."
A report presented to the Tongan Royal Commission probing the sinking of the 37-year-old MV Princess Ashika ferry last August 5, with the loss of 74 lives, showed it was designed to operate only on smooth waters with a sailing time of not more than three hours.
The commission received an extract from the original "stability book" for the vessel -- a document specifically outlining the suitability of the vessel to the area of navigation, sailing duration and tonnage.
Mr Jonesse in his evidence in November 2009 claimed that he did not see the report while in Fiji but he was told there was one and when he asked for it he was told by the former owners that it was on board the vessel.
The commission produced the extract as an exhibit that contained both the Japanese original version and its English translation: dated September 1974. Shikoku District Maritime Bureau said the ship could carry a maximum of 417, including crew. But in April 2009, this number had been reduced to 160 at the orders of the Fiji Marine Board because of concern over the safety of passengers and the vessel was old.
