HMNZS Manawanui listing badly with smoke coming out before its sunk outside the reef on the south side of Upolu. Photo. NZ Herald.
By Staff Writer
The New Zealand 5700-tonne naval ship HMNZS Manawanui is destined to remain at the bottom of the ocean, outside the reef on the south side of Upolu, with little hopes of a full salvage,.
The NZD$100m Manawanui was on a reef surveying mission near Tafitoala village when it ran aground on Saturday night, 6 October 2024.
The New Zealand Defence Minister, Judith Collins, in a NZ Herald media report, believes the ship “is pretty much gone”.
For now the immediate concerns are with the damage risks to the environment.
Oil leaks, hydraulic fluids and other pollutants are reportedly high on the environment experts anxious ‘watch out’ list.
On a thankful note, all 75 people are safe and well except for minor injuries.
All managed to abandoned ship safely after it listed and before it caught fire and sunk under a depth of more than 2km of water.
SFESA Commissioner, Tanuvasa Mr. Petone Mauga, who led the Samoa Fire and Emergency Services Authority, rescue effort acknowledged the collective support from everyone.
“The conditions at the time were difficult by the time we arrived out there, ” Tanuvasa told Newsline Samoa Online after the rush from Apia.
“The winds were gusting and the sea currents were strong but we could see bopping lights on the rescue crafts that were already out there.”
Close to 20 SFESA rescue workers across from their Apia home base to join up with the ‘collective’ help at the time.
Tanuvasa admitted that the Manawanui rescue efforts is a first for them.
“We’ve attended to other coastal seafront emergency calls before from commercial or privately owned vessels but this is our first for a naval ship.”
The chances of SFESA upgrading its sea rescue services to a level where it will need a bigger rescue boat the size of the Police Nafanua Patrol Boat may still be a long way off.
Tanuvasa admitted that they do not have the infrastructure in place to operate at that level right now.
“Maybe in the future but that may still be a long way off in terms of our present needs right now.”