A crew member on the Princess Ashika has told the Royal Commission of Inquiry investigating the ferry's sinking about the rust and holes he saw when the ship arrived in Tonga.

The commission is trying to establish what caused the disaster which claimed more than 70 lives in August.

The crew member, Manase Katoa, said when he saw the Princess Ashika for the first time, he thought it was not worth it to travel to Tonga.

He said this because of the rust inside the vessel, the cargo, and the outside with big holes visible.

Katoa also told the commission that he did some repairs on the vessel but this was not completed before the sinking.

Katoa even raised his concerns with the manager of the Shipping Corporation but his pleas fell on deaf ears.