Manawanui shipwreck: Salvage process begins as diesel continues to leak from wreck

The HMNZS Manawanui, stranded in Samoa.
Photo: Boats supplied / profiled

The wreck recovery process HMNZS Manawanui began as diesel continued to leak from the wreckage.

“Recovery efforts will take time, but New Zealand is committed to doing the right thing. We are committed to working with the Samoan Government and will continue to work in and from New Zealand to support the overall operation and the withdrawal of the Manawanui,” said New Zealand’s deputy chief naval officer, Commodore Andrew Brown.

Commodore Brown led New Zealand’s Operation Resolution, which included 60 personnel who came to Samoa to recover and clean up the sunken ship.

“We take this very, very seriously and we are working hand in hand with the Samoan Government and with our other agencies such as Maritime New Zealand. Our priorities remain to mitigate any possible impact on the environment following the sinking of the Manawanui,” » said Commodore Brown.

Samoa’s government agencies and the Pacific regional environmental body SPREP (the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program) are part of the Samoa Marine Pollution Advisory Committee, which is also supported by the Samoa Ocean Strategy .

“We’re doing underwater imaging on a daily basis and we’re identifying the fuel that’s leaking from the ship. In fact, I understand the New Zealand Defense Force released video footage of that overnight.

“There is still no evidence of this in the main fuel tanks. They appear intact. And our initial technical estimates indicate that up to 200,000 liters of fuel potentially leaked from the ship,” Commodore Brown said .

THE HMNZS Manawanui ran aground on Tafitoala Reef on Saturday October 6 and the next morning caught fire and sank.

The New Zealand Defense Force said 950 tonnes of diesel was on board during the disaster. There are 1,000 liters in a ton.

An insurance adjuster with rescue and recovery expertise is in Samoa to work with New Zealand’s Operation Resolution.

“He and we started this activity and it involves communicating with salvage companies around the world to come together and help us remove the fuel from the ship,” Commodore Brown said.

Fuel is leaking from Manawanui is “very small in quantity, and we obviously continue to monitor where that fuel goes once it surfaces. We monitor the beaches, the environment, the wildlife, etc., etc. in the immediate area,” a- he declared.

Fui Tupai Mau Simanu, Chairman of the Samoa Advisory Committee on Marine Pollution.
Photo: RNZ / Louise Ternouth

The Samoa Marine Pollution Advisory Committee urges divers to continue scanning the seabed for debris belonging to the Manawanuiand they are awaiting the results of water contamination tests.

“Divers are returning to the site today to gather more information so that a plan to stop the fuel leak can be executed as soon as possible. Ultimately, the plan is to dispose of the remaining fuel ” said Fui Tupai Mau Simanu, chairman of Samoa’s maritime pollution control body. Advisory committee.

The committee reported significant damage to the reef caused by the ManawanuiThe collision and friction of its anchor with its anchor and the main area of ​​damage covered 5,000 square meters.

New Zealand has no timetable for when the diesel will be removed from the ship or when it will be recovered.

“I can assure you that this is not a slow effort. We are going at the absolute pace that we can. It is a very complex situation. Even diving operations are very complex at depth and in tidal and weather situations ” said Commodore Brown.

“We have many New Zealand Defense Forces and other government agencies here who are working at a high pace. It’s something we can’t rush. But we also absolutely need to be working at a high pace in this area .”

Meanwhile, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon apologized directly to Samoan leaders for the sinking of the navy ship.

Luxon said he had consistently conveyed New Zealand’s apologies for the unfortunate accident to the Samoan Prime Minister and Acting Prime Minister.

Both New Zealand and Samoa are focused on the task at hand, which is first and foremost to limit environmental impact, he said.