THE ROYAL NEW ZEALAND NAVY’s diving, salvage and hydrographic ship HMNZS Manawanui has sunk this morning [6 October] after striking a reef and catching fire around one nautical mile off the southern coast of Upolu in Samoa last night.
All 75 crew and passengers were rescued by the Samoa Fire and Emergency Services Authority, working in conjunction with NZ authorities, although local reports indicate a number may have been taken to hospital.
The 5741 displacement tonnes, 84.7-metre ship was built as the specialist offshore service vessel Edda Fonn in 2003, and acquired and converted in 2018-19 at a reported cost of $NZ147 million to replace hydrographic survey ship HMNZS Resolution and the earlier HMNZS Manawanui, a diving support ship.
Ironically and sadly the ship had departed Devonport Naval Base in Auckland last Saturday [28 September] to conduct reef survey work off Samoa.
In a statement the NZ Defence Force said 75 crew and passengers began evacuating into lifeboats at 7.52 pm on Saturday 5 October.
“The NZDF worked closely with the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCCNZ) who led the rescue effort. Numerous vessels responded to provide assistance, and a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon was also deployed to assist.
“Rescuers battled currents and winds that were pushing the life rafts and sea boats toward the reefs, and swells made the rescue effort particularly challenging.
“We are very grateful for the assistance of everyone involved, from RCCNZ who coordinated rescue efforts, to the vessels which responded and took our crew and passengers from Manawanui to safety,” Maritime Component Commander Commodore Shane Arndell said.
Those on board the life boats and sea boats from HMNZS Manawanui were transferred to vessels that responded to the rescue call and were transported ashore.
At this stage the exact cause of the grounding is unknown and this will need further investigation. At 6.40am Sunday, the ship was listing heavily and smoke was visible from the ship. At 9.00am it was known to have capsized and was below the surface. The NZDF is working with authorities to understand the implications and minimise the environmental impacts.
Support is being provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Samoan authorities to the crew and passengers from Manawanui and they are being accommodated in Samoa. The NZDF will be sending aircraft to Samoa to bring them back to New Zealand.
This was HMNZS Manawanui’s third deployment to the South West Pacific this year. The ship had a series of activities scheduled including in the Kermadec Islands, Samoa, Tokelau and Niue and was due to return home on 1 November.
