THE GOVERNMENT of Samoa has told its New Zealand counterpart it now sees no need to salvage the sunken HMNZS Manawanui.
The vessel sank on the morning of 6 October 2024, after hitting a reef it was in the process of surveying, the previous evening. An initial finding by an official inquiry highlighted a misunderstanding of the auto-pilot system on board, which had not been switched off.
Since mid-January the NZ tug Kurutai and barge Cronus have been operating between the port of Apia and the wreck site outside Tafitoala on the South Coast of Upolu, removing fuel and other pollutants. The operation has been regularly interrupted by bad weather and the NZDF has not issued any updates this month.
However, Samoan media has reported NZ Minister for Defence Judith Collins announcing the Samoan Government wants the Manawanui wreck to remain off the coast, despite ongoing concerns about residual oil slicks and pollution.
Ms Collins says most of the oil has been removed, and the wreck could eventually become a tourist attraction.
“The Samoan government has decided it wants it to stay where it is. It suits the government for that to happen; it’ll become a great part of the reef, and it’ll be probably an excellent diving spot at some stage,” Mrs Collins said.
The Samoa Observer reported the Samoa Conservation Society has backed the idea provided all environmental hazards are removed.
“As long as all the oil and any other toxins are removed from the hull and the boat is stable and won’t move around in storms then it will be a good addition to reef life and a good dive site for Samoa. Corals will grow up on the wreck very fast and it will be claimed by nature so I am for it,” SCS president James Atherton told the paper.
Owners of the Sina PJ Beach Fales in Tafitoala have also welcomed the idea. For them, this would mean an increase in business.
The operation is still at a standstill. The business is based on surf operations but the area where surfing takes place is inside the restricted two-kilometre zone to safeguard the salvage works that is being currently carried out.
Last month, the fishing village of Safata reported continued fuel odours in the region, despite the precautionary ban being lifted, allowing villagers to resume fishing near the disaster site. The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China has given $50,000 to the Safata District to be used to help families whose livelihood had been affected by the fishing ban, according to media reports.
The ship lies just off the reef at Tafitoala at a depth of 35 metres and would make “”an idyllic diving spot”.
The NZDF will not replace Manawanui.
