MV ''ʻOtu Angaʻofa'' ("friendly islands") is an inter-island
ferry
A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...
which has operated in
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...
since 2010. It replaced , which had sunk on 5 August 2009, with 74 people lost at sea.
MV ʻOtu Angaʻofa was built in Japan and was paid for by the Japanese government at a cost of US$16 million. It arrived in Tonga in October 2010, and after a period of testing, entered service with the Friendly Island Shipping Agency in December 2010. It normally operates between
Nukuʻalofa
Nukualofa ( , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Tonga. It is located on the north coast of the island of Tongatapu, in the country's southernmost island group.
History
First western records of Nukualofa
On 10 June 1777, British ...
,
Pangai
Pangai is the administrative capital village of the Haʻapai group in Tonga.
Town
The village is on the western shore of Lifuka and has a population of 1,026.
The village center is around the Catholic Church (''Siasi Katolika'')Neiafu.
In January 2012 it collided with a stationary vessel twice at Nukuʻalofa while trying to dock. No injuries were reported, but $50,000 of damage was caused to the . In May 2014 it ran aground at
Niuatoputapu
Niuatoputapu (''The Sacred Niua'') is a volcanic island in the island nation of Tonga, Pacific Ocean. Its highest point is , and its area is . Its name means ''sacred island''. Older names for the island are Traitors Island or Keppel Island. ...
. In July 2014 it was sent to
Fiji
Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...
for maintenance after cracks were found inside a ballast tank. In June 2015 the captain was fired after the ship was found to be leaking.
In September 2022 it was sent to
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
for repairs. On its arrival, it was told to stay outside new Zealand waters for three weeks due to biosecurity risks. The repairs took longer than expected, and the ferry's absence caused significant disruption to the education of students in the
Niua Islands
Niua is a divisions of Tonga, division of the Kingdom of Tonga, namely the northernmost group of islands. It consists of three islands (Niuafoʻou, Niuatoputapu and Tafahi) which together have an area of 71.69 km2 and a population of 1,150. Th ...
, who were unable to travel to
Tongatapu
Tongatapu is the main island of Tonga and the site of its capital, Nukuʻalofa, Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with 74,611 residents (2016), 70.5% o ...
for the beginning of the school year. The ferry returned to Tonga in April 2023.