Evacuation of Manawanui after Samoa grounding ‘saved lives’, says navy chief
Sunday, 6 October 2024
Defence Minister Judith Collins says a Court of Inquiry will establish how a Navy ship crashed into a reef, caught fire and sunk in Samoa.
The Defence Force said the 75 people on board the HMNZS Manawanui made it off the ship, although there were injuries as they battled heavy swells and one of the escape boats capsized itself.
Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral Garin Golding, said the ship’s captain, Commander Yvonne Gray, made the right call in ordering everyone to abandon ship. He said that decision would have saved lives.
This was the first time “in peace time” that the Royal New Zealand Navy had lost a ship in this way, Golding said.
Collins also praised Golding’s leadership and the work of those on board, calling the evacuation “something of a triumph, frankly”, given the conditions.
About 12 hours after Gray ordered the evacuation when it started to list, Manawanui became entirely submerged. Local media reported a stench of oil and gas on the shoreline. And Collins said, on Sunday, that it would be extremely unlikely that the ship could be salvaged.
Golding said the Air Force was on the way to Samoa with a dive team, salvage equipment, and an oil spill kit, as well as welfare support.
It remained unclear, on Sunday, how the ship came to run aground.
Collins said her attention was focused on welfare and an environmental response. She would then turn her attention to the inquiry process, and the capability of the Navy.
The Manawanui joined the Royal New Zealand Navy in 2019, after serving 15 years for a Norwegian oil and gas company. The Ministry of Defence paid $100 million for the ship.
It was an extremely versatile and well used ship. It carried specialist equipment to scan the land formations under water, remove explosives, provide disaster support such as fresh drinking water, and launch dive missions.
“The ship has grounded one nautical mile from shore, on a reef where it was conducting a hydro-graphic survey,” she said.
It had been in Samoa carrying out a surveying mission, which required it to sail near the shoreline. Collins said it was the first time since 1987 that this area had been surveyed.
“We recognise this is an urgent situation, which requires a rapid response. We are doing everything possible to provide that,” Collins said.
Labour Party defence spokesperson Peeni Henare the Government must work “around the clock” to assist Samoa, which launched a rescue operation overnight to save the New Zealanders.
'This is a devastating event. My first thoughts are with the safety of the crew on-board the HMNZS Manawanui, and I'm relieved to hear they're all safe,“ Henare said.
“I'm confident New Zealand and fellow partners will be working around the clock to respond appropriately and support Samoa during this tough time.'
The Samoa Observer reported that the ship was completely submerged around midday on Sunday, about 12 hours after the crew abandoned ship.
Its reporters at the villages of Siumu and Sa'anapu, which were close to the wreckage, said locals were “grappling with the strong, pervasive odour of oil leaking from the sunken ship”.
As well as the Samoan fire service, local police and the Australian Defence Force worked as part of the Manawanui rescue effort. A cruise ship, a New Zealand air force patrol plane, and other vessels also responded to the distress call.