The 50 foot vessel, 'Utuma'atau, has been out of operation a number of times since its launch after being damaged by Cyclone Gita in 2018 and most recently when it was smashed by another vessel, which had broken its moorings in Nuku'alofa harbour.
The 'Utuma'atau launch was greeted with much anticipation with the man behind the project, academic and former Tonga MP, Sitiveni Halapua saying it would change the lives of people in areas like the far northern islands of the Niuas.
