THE SALVAGE team appointed to remove fuel from the sunken HMNZS Manawanui is now due to leave NZ next week, with work expected to begin in early December weather permitting.
The New Zealand Defence Force has engaged the services of NZ salvage companies Pacific 7 Limited and Bay Underwater Services NZ Ltd to undertake the removal, recovery and safe disposal of the fuel and other pollutants currently on board Manawanui.
HMNZS Manawanui was surveying the very reef it struck on the night of 5 October, before sinking the following morning after it caught fire. All 75 people on board were safely rescued.
The team‘s equipment is expected to leave NZ in the next week on tug and barge combination, Kurutai and Cronus, with an estimated 10-11 day sailing time to Samoa.
The NZDF Senior National Representative for Operation Resolution, the response to the grounding and sinking of Manawanui, Commodore Andrew Brown, said the operation to remove the fuel would be done as quickly and safely as possible, but this would be dependent on several factors, such as weather and sea conditions.
Bad weather could also impact the mobilisation of equipment and personnel from NZ and the passage to Samoa, he said.
“The weather plays an important, but unpredictable, part in this operation. It is important to emphasize that the NZDF’s intent is to get the fuel and other pollutants off the vessel as soon as we can.
“That needs to be done safely, with minimal risk to the personnel involved. We are committed to working in partnership with the Samoan Government as this important work to get the fuel and pollutants out of the HMNZS Manawanui proceeds,” Commodore Brown said.
“The approach will be to prioritise the largest potential risks, with the bulk fuel removed first, and progressing to the smaller quantities of oils and other contaminants. In the end we do not expect it will be safe or practical to remove absolutely all the liquids, however the objective is to do everything practicable to limit or stop any potential damage to the environment.”
Mitigation of any potential environmental impacts through on-going monitoring and surveillance of the ship and site continue on a daily basis. The main fuel tanks on Manawanui remain intact, NZDF said.
