HMNZS Manawanui: New Zealand loses first naval ship since World War II threatening oil spill off Samoa coast

CNN
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The New Zealand Navy has lost its first ship since World War Two after HMNZS Manawanui sank on a reef off the coast of Samoa on Sunday, sparking a potential environmental disaster in waters used for fishing and tourism.

A specialist diving and hydrography ship lost power and ran aground on Saturday evening while conducting a coral reef survey one nautical mile off the southern coast of Upolu Island in Samoa, according to New Zealand authorities.

By Sunday morning, the ship was “swaying violently,” the Navy said. Smoke was detected around 6:40 a.m., and by 9 a.m. the ship had slipped below the surface.

Authorities said it was the first unintentional sinking of a New Zealand naval ship since World War II, and a court opened an inquiry into what happened.

Local businesses and environmentalists now fear the potential environmental impact of the incident, which occurred in the waters off the most populous island of Samoa.

“We have a large number of sea turtles swimming around our lagoon, and people are enjoying it, and I hope nothing happens to them,” Brian Rose, manager of Coconuts Beach Club in Maninoa, told CNN affiliate RNZ.

New Zealand Defense Minister Judith Collins said NewStack ZB The authorities’ first priority is to assess the depth of the ship and the risk of leakage.

“It’s got a lot of oil on board. … It’s got lubricating oil, hydro-oil, diesel, urea. It’s got a lot of stuff in it. I don’t think we can leave it like that,” she said.

She added that divers were sent to the scene on Sunday evening. “They will take a look to see what they can do, but it will be a very big task,” she added.

Acting Prime Minister of Samoa Twala Tivaja Iosifu Bonifacio said in a press release on Sunday An oil spill was highly likely.

“The ship HMNZS Manawanui is not recoverable and has sunk in the ocean,” he added.

Samoa police received a distress call just before 7pm on Saturday evening, according to local authorities. Small boats were dispatched with a warning that the ship was taking on water and its crew would likely need to be evacuated.

The New Zealand Navy said several ships and aircraft were sent to assist, including a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon and a C-130J.

By 5 a.m. on Sunday, all 75 passengers and crew had been rescued, but witnesses said they soon saw smoke rising from the sinking wreckage.

Dave Ball told CNN he saw smoke rising from the ship’s bridge Sunday morning from the village of Tavitula.

“It took 15 minutes for the boat to be completely engulfed in flames and then it sank,” he said, adding that local villagers left church services on Sunday to view the ship.

“They were clearly upset and concerned about their beach, their reefs, their marine reserves and their income as fishermen,” Paul said.

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Luxon said “environmental spill equipment” had been sent from New Zealand to help mitigate and reduce the effects.

HMNZS Manawanui was a relatively new addition to the New Zealand Navy, having been purchased in 2018 for around NZ$100 million ($61 million), although she was built in the early 2000s.

According to the Navy, the ship is designed to “survey ports and corridors before landing larger support ships with support equipment and personnel for either combat or disaster relief.”