A Royal New Zealand Navy ship ran aground and sank off Samoa on Sunday. However, all 75 passengers and crew on board were safe, the New Zealand Defense Force said in a statement on Sunday. Manawanui, the navy’s specialized diving and hydrographic vessel, ran aground near the south coast of Upolu on Saturday night while conducting a reef survey, Commodore Shane Arndell, Navy Forces maritime component commander, said in a statement. Defense of New Zealand.
Several ships responded and helped rescue crew and passengers who had abandoned ship in lifeboats, Arndell said. A Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon was also deployed to assist in the rescue.
The cause of the grounding is unknown and further investigation would be necessary, the New Zealand Defense Force said.
Videos and photographs published in local media showed the Manawanui, which cost the New Zealand government NZ$103 million in 2018, listing heavily and plumes of thick gray smoke rising after running aground.
The ship later capsized and was below the surface at 9am local time, the New Zealand Defense Force said. The agency said it was “working with authorities to understand the implications and minimize environmental impacts.”
Plane would leave for Samoa: Navy Chief
Navy chief Rear Admiral Garin Golding told a news conference in Auckland that a plane would leave for Samoa on Sunday to bring the crew and rescued passengers back to New Zealand. He said some of those rescued had suffered minor injuries, including while walking on a reef. Defense Minister Judith Collins described the grounding as “a real challenge for everyone on board”.
“I know it’s going to take a long time to process what happened,” Collins said at the news conference. “I hope to identify the cause so we can learn from it and prevent it from happening again,” he said, adding that the immediate goal was to save “what’s left” of the ship.
The rescue operations were coordinated by Samoan emergency services and Australian Defense personnel with the help of the New Zealand rescue centre, according to a statement from the Samoa Police, Prison and Correctional Service posted on Facebook.
Manawanui is used to perform a variety of specialist diving, salvage and reconnaissance tasks in New Zealand and throughout the South West Pacific. The New Zealand Navy is already working at reduced capacity with three of its nine ships idled due to staff shortages.
(With contributions from the agency)
READ ALSO: INS Brahmaputra, Navy warship, severely damaged in fire, sailor missing
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this post is for general information purposes only. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the post for any purpose.
We respect the intellectual property rights of content creators. If you are the owner of any material featured on our website and have concerns about its use, please contact us. We are committed to addressing any copyright issues promptly and will remove any material within 2 days of receiving a request from the rightful owner.