In an incident yet to be clarified, the Royal New Zealand Navy confirmed the sinking of the hydrographic vessel HMNZS Manawanui during its most recent deployment off the coast of Samoa. The announcement followed confirmation of an emergency call from the ship yesterday, as the crew initiated evacuation protocols after the vessel began listing heavily, and smoke was observed coming from the ship, which also triggered search and rescue operations.
The HMNZS Manawanui was the only vessel in the Royal New Zealand Navy specialized in hydrographic missions and diver support. Its addition to the fleet was recent, having been acquired by the New Zealand Ministry of Defence in early 2018 to fill the gap left by HMNZS Resolution, decommissioned in 2012, and it entered service in 2019.
According to the timeline of events, at 7:52 PM last Saturday, HMNZS Manawanui declared an emergency and initiated evacuation procedures. The New Zealand Defence Force launched a search and rescue operation, deploying a P-8A Poseidon aircraft, coordinated by the Rescue Coordination Centre. Authorities confirmed that the entire crew of 75 personnel was successfully rescued, with no casualties.
However, as reported on Sunday, by 6:40 AM, HMNZS Manawanui was damaged severely, and smoke was observed coming from the vessel. By 9:00 AM, the ship had sunk off the coast of Samoa.
As of the official statement from the New Zealand Ministry of Defence, the causes of the sinking of HMNZS Manawanui are unknown and are under investigation.
As previously indicated, this was “… the third mission of HMNZS Manawanui in the Southwest Pacific this year. The vessel had scheduled activities, including in the Kermadec Islands, Samoa, Tokelau, and Niue. It departed from Devonport on September 28 and was scheduled to return home on November 1.”
Finally, the Defence Ministry reported that aircraft are being prepared to repatriate the crew of HMNZS Manawanui, who are recovering from the incident and sinking of the vessel in Samoa.
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