HMNZS Manawanui: Defence Minister Judith Collins slates ‘misogynistic’ criticism of Navy commander after ship sinking
Defence Minister Judith Collins has labelled sexist criticism of the female commander of doomed Royal New Zealand Navy ship the HMNZS Manawanui, which sank off the Samoan coast, as “deeply misogynistic”.
Speaking about the abuse faced by commanding oficer Commander Yvonne Gray, Collins said New Zealanders should “be better”.
She delivered a broadside at the “deeply concerning, misogynistic narrative” directed at Gray.
Collins took aim at what she called “armchair admirals”, including a Melbourne truck driver, criticising the captain, she said.
She urged the man to stick to his area of expertise.
“The one thing we know did not cause [the sinking] was the gender of the ship’s captain.”
Collins said women in uniform had been abused on the streets after the disaster.
“I’m appalled to hear our women in uniform are being abused in the street because of this incident.”
She added she was shocked by the vile comments posted online about the commander.
STORY CONTINUES AFTER LIVE BLOG
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These live updates are now over.
Sinking a 'very hard time'
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Collins said the issue was "not embarrassing."
She said bad things happened but how you handled them was what defined a country.
"Everything that we are doing, so far, is working along well."
Collins said these things were difficult to deal with and this was a "very hard time."
She said other Governments and navies had been "incredibly supportive" and it was heartening.
"We just work together. We don't worry about embarrassment, we worry about fixing things."
'Deeply traumatised'
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Collins said: "We are deeply traumatised."
In terms of a potential apology, that was a matter for the Prime Minister, not Collins or the Navy, Collins said.
Collins said in terms of the inquiry, everything would be done in accordance with the law.
Golding said they had engaged with WorkSafe and the Transport Accident Commission - and it was his understanding those agencies were not running parallel inquiries.
Speaking about the abuse and misogyny faced by women in uniform following this sinking, Collins described it as "vile" and "appalling".
Golding said "high calibre" people were involved in the inquiry.
Threat of oil spill
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Golding said divers were conducting daily dives to monitor any leaks.
Golding could not be "100% confident" there were not further leaks.
The main tanks were intact, Golding said.
He said the number priority was the environmental impacts – and mitigating those impacts.
Salvage options were "some time away", he said. "We're talking months."
Fuel was coming out of Manawanui - this was tracking away from the ideal.
Modelling suggests 10% was going to still be around after 24 hours.
Navy taking event seriously
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Golding said he intended the private report to be publicly released, with some redactions.
Golding said it was understandable people wanted answers.
"So do I," he said, urging people to prevent speculating.
It was important the public understand the Navy was taking the event seriously, he said.
"We are well aware the outcome could have been different."
Court of inquiry
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Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding says there has been a process to lift the tapu of the ship - so healing could begin.
Golding said the inquiry would look at what happened and what changes could be made in the future to prevent this from happening again.
The court would look at the sequence of events leading up to the grounding, the grounding itself, the loss of the ship, injuries, environmental aspects and material state relevant to the loss, among other issues.
This was a complex investigation and needed to be conducted to high standards.
Commodore Melissa Ross will be the president of the inquiry.
Ross will be joined by a panel of others, including someone seconded from the Australian Navy.
Golding said he was confident the investigation would be robust.
The court would provide an interim report by mid-November.
'Deeply misogynistic'
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Collins has called out the "deeply misogynistic" talk from the public.
Women in uniform are being “abused in the street”, Collins said.
“New Zealanders are better than this. Be better,” she added.
Collins took aim at what she called “armchair admirals” who were criticizing the captain.
She said she had took it upon herself to look at one of their profiles.
He was a truck driver from Melbourne, she said. He urged him to stick to his area of expertise.
"The one thing we know did not cause [the sinking] was the gender of the ship's captain. I'm appalled to hear our women in uniform are being abused in the street because of this incident."
Oil spill
Scott Palmer
Minister of Defence Judith Collins says there are reports of some leaks, but they are very small.
"It is being dispersed out to sea by wind and waves," Collins said.
Collins says NZDF personnel are continuing to monitor the beach.
The oil slip is being monitored from the air.
Lane Nichols
Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding and Minister of Defence Judith Collins are set to address media at 2pm.
STORY CONTINUES
Collins made the comments during a joint press conference with Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding after the ship lost power and hit a reef on Saturday night before catching fire and sinking early on Sunday.
The pair announced a Court of Inquiry had been set up to establish what caused the incident.
The update also came after conflicting reports on whether the sunken HMNZS Manawanui was leaking oil into the ocean off the south coast of the Samoan island of Upolu.
Collins said the ship’s fuel had been contained but there were reports of “very small” leaks coming from other areas of the ship, including pipes that carry fuel around the ship.
Golding confirmed the main tanks were intact.
Current indications were that little to none of this fuel had come onto beaches or the reef.
Collins also said modelling estimated only 10% of any oil was likely to remain longer than 24 hours – as it was being dispersed out to sea by wind and waves.
The wreck is monitored daily and the light oil slick is being monitored from the air.
“While this remains an incredibly serious incident... it is tracking as well as we could hope for at this point.
“What is not tracking well is the deeply concerning misogynistic narrative that reared its head before our people had even made it home to New Zealand.”
On Thursday morning, Deputy Chief of Navy Commodore Andrew Brown told RNZ’s Morning Report the latest update he had received was that the oil was contained.
“The fuel is contained within its fuel tanks and we’ve got no indication of any leaking coming from those tanks,” Brown said.
The New Zealand Defence Force confirmed Manawanui was carrying nearly 1000 tonnes of diesel when it sank.
Footage from Samoa showed a sea turtle struggling in an oil spill near the wreck site.
Local village fishermen and a tour operator reported seeing oil slicks near the reef and surrounding areas where the HMNZS Manawanui now lies, off the southern coast of Upolu.
Tour operator Brent Ross, of Offshore Adventures, told the Herald earlier this week he saw a large amount of diesel near the wreck.
On Monday, the Samoa Conservation Society said on Facebook it “only found limited signs of oil pollution and debris” during a rapid survey.
“It is possible however that there is an oil slick on the reef or in the ocean and it is being dispersed in the high seas and swell,” the society wrote.
“It is also possible that there was a diesel spill when the boat went down which is not as visible as heavy fuel oil but is nevertheless damaging to wildlife.”
Further surveys were needed to determine the extent of any spills, it said. Metal shipping containers and other debris from the boat including diving gear had washed up on shore and been collected by locals.
“We were told of a number of sea turtles that had died at Sataoa tai and were also informed by a local fisherman that there had been some oil washed up on the beach at Sataoa tai yesterday and there had been a strong smell of oil along the shore.”
Gray has not spoken to media regarding the sinking.
But she was quoted at the end of the Defence Force press release on Tuesday as saying the incident was when her “very worst imagining became a reality”.
“However, my team responded in exactly the way I needed them to. They acted with commitment, with comradeship and, above all, with courage.”
The ship’s equivalent of an airplane’s black box flight recorder has since been salvaged from the wreck.
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