Manawanui sinks: Salvage process begins as diesel continues to leak from wreckage

The process of recovering the sunken HMNZS Manawanui has begun as diesel continues 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 we will continue to work locally and from New Zealand to support the overarching operation and removal of Manawanui,” said New Zealand’s deputy naval chief, Commodore Andrew Brown.

Commodore Brown leads New Zealand’s Operation Resolution, which includes 60 personnel who came to Samoa to salvage and clean up the sunken ship.

“We are taking this very, very seriously and are working hand in hand with the Samoan government and our other agencies such as Maritime New Zealand. Our priority remains mitigating any possible environmental impacts following the sinking.” Manawanui, Commodore Brown said.

Samoa’s government agencies and the Pacific Regional Environment Agency SPREP (the Pacific Regional Environment Program Secretariat) are part of the Samoa Marine Pollution Advisory Committee, which also receives support from the Samoa Ocean Strategy.

“We take underwater photos every day and notice that fuel is dripping from the ship. I actually learned that the New Zealand Defense Force released video footage of it overnight.”

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

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

According to the New Zealand Defense Force, there were 950 tonnes of diesel on board when the crash occurred. There are 1000 liters in one ton.

An insurance adjuster with experience in salvage and recovery is in Samoa working with New Zealand’s Operation Resolution.

“He and we have begun this activity and that includes communicating with salvage companies around the world to come together and assist us in removing fuel from the ship,” Commodore Brown said.

Fuel is leaking out of the Manawanui “The amount is very small and we will of course continue to monitor where the fuel goes as it emerges. We monitor the beaches, environment, wildlife etc etc in the immediate area,” he said.

Samoa’s Maritime Pollution Advisory Committee is letting divers continue to search the seabed to find debris Manawanuiand they are waiting for the results of water pollution tests.

“Divers are back on site today to gather further information so that a plan to stop the fuel leak can be implemented as quickly as possible. Ultimately the plan is to remove the remaining fuel,” said Fui Tupai Mau Simanu, the chairman of the Samoa Maritime Pollution Advisory Committee.

The committee has reported significant damage to the reef from the ManawanuiThe collision and friction from its anchor caused an area of ​​5,000 square meters.

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

“I can assure you that this is not a slow effort. We are moving forward as quickly as we can. It’s a very complex situation. Even the diving operations are very complex in depth, tidal and weather conditions,” said Commodore Brown.

“We have many representatives from the New Zealand Defense Force and other government agencies here working quickly. This is something we cannot rush. But we definitely have to work quickly on this.”

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

Luxon said he had always conveyed his apologies to the Samoan Prime Minister and acting Prime Minister of New Zealand for the unfortunate accident.

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