Latest news with #HMNZSManawanui
RNZ News
9 hours ago
- General
- RNZ News
Independent 'draft assessment' of the Manawanui wreck circulates govt agencies' for feedback
UAS footage of RNZN Divers surveying the area around HMNZS Manawanui on the Southern Coast of Upulo as part of Op Resolution. 25 October 2024 Photo: New Zealand Defence Force The New Zealand Defence Force is circulating a draft assessment of the wreck of the HMNZS Manawanui to New Zealand government agencies but there's no date for public release. "I'm getting their advice and providing advice on the initial draft ... They're other agencies such as Maritime New Zealand, MFAT - you know all key agencies that are part of the sort of multi-agency response that is responding to the Manawanui," Commodore Andrew Brown, from the Royal New Zealand Navy, said. Commodore Brown has led the recovery operation of the wreck of the Manawanui for the New Zealand Defence Force since it hit the Tafitoala Reef, set on fire and sank off the south coast of Upolu Samoa on 6 October, 2024. Diesel fuel slicks from HMNZS Manawanui observed from aerial shots. Photo: Ministry of Works Transport and Infrastructure Samoa NZDF conducted more than 284 dives of the wreck, including checking its 55 tanks and compartments. "We are as confident as we can be that we have removed as much of the diesel fuel and other pollutants from the vessel. If there is anything remaining from the vessel it would be very small amounts... Only traces I would expect of any fuel," Brown said. "We've also completed work to recover important equipment and weapons and ammunition, and debris from in and around the ship. We've left the ship as secure as possible until a decision is reached on the next steps for the ship and the work required for that." The salvors have returned to New Zealand bringing back diesel fuel, pollutants, debris and equipment including the azipod and the Manawanui's anchors and chains. What happens next to the Manawanui will be informed by the independent wreck, reef and environmental impact assessments. "We're pushing that as hard as we can, but as you could imagine these types of assessments need to be very carefully progressed. They're being carried out by independent experts. One of them is a Singaporean based," Commodore Brown said. "They're providing the technical advice on the wreck and the wreck assessment and alongside them are independent experts on the reef, and environment experts. They've also subcontracted some work to New Zealand agencies in progressing that." Commodore Brown said the initial draft of the wreck assessment is being circulated for advice but there is no timing for when the assessments will be completed, nor the names of the assessors. "There is some commercial sensitivities related to the contracting of those experts" and they are "being tasked in association with our insurers," he said. NZ Navy Commodore Andrew Brown. Photo: RNZ/ Susana Lei'ataua A 2km prohibitive area around the Manawanui has been legislated by the Government of Samoa "for safety reasons". "We've worked hand in glove with the Samoan government officials who you know have the lead on the response, and certainly have the lead on monitoring the environment. It's been very pleasing as we've worked alongside the likes of the Samoan science and research organisation who have been conducting seawater environmental testing," Commodore Brown said. Water testing has gone from twice a week after the HMNZS Manawanui sank, to once a week and now monthly and "all of the results are coming back with the area clear and uncontaminated from elevated hydrocarbons". NZDF continues to assist Samoan officials with monitoring the environment and testing the seawater but will not release these results. "Not at this stage. They're owned by the Samoans. And if those results are to be made public I would expect that would be something that the Samoan authorities would release," Commodore Brown said. He cannot say for sure if the independent wreck, reef and environmental impact assessments will be made public either "but certainly we have got an absolute focus on being as transparent as we can with respect to this response", he said. This is Commodore Brown's 46th year with the Royal New Zealand Navy. "I personally feel the loss of a ship like the Manawanui as if I have lost a colleague or a family member almost, and I know many of my sailor colleagues that have been involved in the response feel the same," he said. "We also feel, I also feel that bond around the Manawanui and the loss of Manawanui from the Samoans as well. And the wonderful relationship that I've been exposed to through the work I've done with Manawanui working with the Samoan government and the people of Samoa has been an incredible privilege. "No one ever, ever, ever wants this to occur again and never wanted it to occur in the first place, but it has occurred and we're doing our very, very, very best and I'm very proud to be part of the team that is responding to the Manawanui loss." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
24-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Sunken Manawanui listed as $77m write-off in Budget
The HMNZS Manawanui ran aground on a reef off the Samoan island of Upolu on 5 October last year, before catching fire and sinking, however all 75 passengers and crew were rescued. Photo: New Zealand Defence Force A $77 million write-off of the Navy ship Manawanui, which sunk off Samoa last October , is contained in the Budget papers on defence. These also show $32m in costs booked in for 2024-25, for the clean-up, salvage, and "other remedial activities" at the shipwreck. The dive-and-seafloor-survey ship, which the navy had had for five years, was insured for salvaging operations but not replacement. It is not being replaced, and the Budget noted that its loss would reduce "warfare support" by the NZDF in coastal zones. The decrease in the expected level of "readiness" for this type of support, which is set by the government, consequently has dropped from 98 percent to 85 percent: "The decrease ... is a result of the loss of the HMNZS Manawanui," said the defence vote. Before it sank, the ship had cleared unexploded bombs in Tuvalu and surveyed for them in Fiji, Niue and Vanuatu, as well as giving humanitarian support during the tropical cyclone season. That aid gap now might have to be plugged by the ship Canterbury , defence papers said. Budget 2025, under the sub-head "significant trends", also stated the sinking featured as the reason for an increase in output expenses in 2024-25. A military-led inquiry in April found a dozen weaknesses aboard and onshore contributed to the sinking, including around training, leadership and preparation, and that the ship was not up to the task. Over 60 people were on the ground in Samoa within days to clean up, with another 30 in reserve, in October 2024. Salvors took off fuel, though 600,000 litres went unaccounted for - with some of that burned off in a fire after it hit the reef. They then removed other debris, finishing up in early May. An independent report about the wreck by pollution experts has been underway, and Samoan authorities have also got testing done since October. RNZ in March requested the release of environmental test reports, but the NZDF said in May: "Unfortunately your request of 21 March 2025 was missed", and it would now consider it Previously, the Manawanui was held up by defence as a lesson of what to do. It had "demonstrated that the delivery of defence capabilities can be undertaken in a fiscally responsible manner, while also enhancing those capabilities to better meet the demands of the future", the 2019 Defence Capability Plan (DCP) said. The 2025 DCP forecast that the "future fleet" would need dive and survey support, but that this would be by using "other platforms" and would have to wait as the immediate focus was on sea drones. However, Budget 2025 does not list sea drones among the 15 DCP projects it would fund. All up, the Budget puts $2.7 billion of capital and $563m operating funding for these 15 "priority" projects; the amounts were mostly blanked out for "commercial" reasons (Defence now must negotiate to actually acquire the various systems, in an international arms market where demand is spiralling as many countries increase military spending). While sea drones are missing in Budget 2025, aerial drones feature, along with communications and anti-tank missile upgrades, plus the pre-announced largest capital outlay of $2 billion-plus to replace naval helicopters. A relatively tiny $30m is going on small-scale projects, including to do with space. Fleet replacement would have to wait till the next phase, the DCP said in April. "This will allow for the adoption of new and emerging technology to achieve transformational change for the Navy, including across training, trades, and infrastructure." Budget 2025 also set aside large sums for more naval and other operations, plus training - $150m a year - and to maintain the three services' capabilities: $39m for the navy, $50m for the army and $60m for the air force. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Scoop
04-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
The Latest Update On The HMNZS Manawanui Response
Press Release – New Zealand Defence Force The rest of the debris, along with tanktainers of unusable diesel fuel, pollutants, and oil mix will return to New Zealand on the salvors' barge for safe disposal. · NZDF Senior National Representative for Operation Resolution, Commodore Andrew Brown said, 'Another important milestone in Operation Resolution has been reached with the work to retrieve important equipment, weapons, ammunition and some debris from in and around HMNZS Manawanui now complete.' This follows the successful removal of diesel fuel, oil and other pollutants from the ship. · 'I'd like to take this opportunity to formally acknowledge the salvors, Pacific7 Limited & Bay Underwater Services NZ Limited for their careful and thorough work. We also appreciate the local Samoan Authorities and Government officials, who have continued to provide their oversight, expertise and assistance throughout this important work.' · 'All the equipment, weapons and the ammunition has now been returned to NZ on military flights, and much of the scrap metal debris has gone to be repurposed locally,' said Commodore Brown. 'The rest of the debris, along with tanktainers of unusable diesel fuel, pollutants, and oil mix will return to New Zealand on the salvors' barge for safe disposal.' · While sea conditions have delayed lifting the specialised anchoring and mooring installations critical to securing the barge in place over Manawanui, the salvors have spent time in the Port of Apia reconfiguring the barge from a salvage diving setup, to allow for the transport of equipment safely back to NZ. · Commodore Brown said, 'Every effort has been taken to leave the Manawanui as safe and secure as possible, until a decision is reached on next steps for the ship and the work required for that. In the meantime the Government of Samoa's Prohibited Area of 2kms around the Manawanui will remain in place.' · 'With our focus on the next steps for Manawanui, reef and environmental studies are progressing to inform and sit alongside the independent wreck assessment. These will take time, but will provide essential expert advice, to inform government decisions.' · Commodore Brown said, 'A core NZDF task group remains in Samoa to support the ongoing response, allowing for skilled people to come in at the right point, as we progress the next steps.' · 'The work to remove potential environmental risks has been extremely technical and challenging, but incredibly important for the marine and coastal environment on Upolu's south coast and we continue to be absolutely committed to doing the right thing into the future.'
NZ Herald
04-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Watch: Government set to make defence announcement ahead of Budget 2025
That long-awaited plan, released on April 7, revealed $9b of the funding was new. Luxon described it as a 'landmark day' and a significant financial investment that was 'not just about the Defence Force, it's fundamentally about our national security and our economic prosperity'. Collins said the plan would deliver 'enhanced lethality' and a 'deterrent effect'. She said it was not 'about choosing sides or beating the drums of war' but supporting an international rules-based order, working alongside our partners and making smart decisions for the future. 'It gets our NZDF [Defence Force] out of the intensive care unit and not just growing, but growing where we need it to go,' she said. 'Our personnel deserve a serious plan that will serve them as they serve us, this is what we have delivered.' There are several major investments expected by 2028. This includes replacing the Boeing 757 fleet (expected at $600 million to $1b), enhanced strike capabilities ($100m to $300m), and a new fleet of maritime helicopters to operate from Navy ships ($300m to $600m). In the near term, the Government has decided not to immediately replace the country's ageing Anzac frigates, HMNZS Te Kaha and Te Mana, but instead provide additional maintenance to extend their lives into the early 2030s. This will cost between $300m and $600m. 'Extending the life of the frigates will retain Defence's combat capable ships and the skilled workforce required to operate combat vessels until the ships are replaced,' the plan said. Another vessel that would not be replaced at least in the short term is the recently sunk HMNZS Manawanui – instead dive and hydrographic tasks would be undertaken from other platforms rather than a single dedicated one.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Crew of New Zealand navy ship which sank off Samoa lacked training, experience, an inquiry finds
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A lack of training, qualifications and experience among the crew on board a New Zealand navy ship that ran aground, caught fire and sank off the coast of Samoa have been identified by a military Court of Inquiry in a final report released Friday as contributing to the disaster. The deficiencies were among a dozen failings of the crew, ship and New Zealand's Navy that contributed to the loss of the HMNZS Manawanui in October 2024, the 120-page report said. An interim report last November had already divulged that the ship's crew didn't realize the vessel was on autopilot and believed something else had gone wrong as it plowed toward a reef. All 75 people on board evacuated to safety as the boat foundered about 1.6 kilometers (a mile) off the coast of Upolu, Samoa's second largest island. The ship was one of only nine in New Zealand's navy and was the first the country lost at sea since World War II. What went wrong? Officials did not immediately know the cause of the sinking and the Court of Inquiry was ordered to find out. Insufficient training, lack of qualified personnel on board and inadequate risk management, were among a raft of problems uncovered in its findings released Friday. The report also underlined the so-called hollowness of New Zealand's navy — which prompted the organization to 'take risks' to meet demands 'with a lean and inexperienced workforce,' its authors wrote. 'It's an indictment on the fact that our navy was left in quite a perilous state,' Defense Minister Judith Collins told reporters in Auckland Friday. The whole of the country's military needed a 'serious uplift,' she added. The state of New Zealand's aging military hardware has prompted several warnings from the defense agency, which in a March 2024 report described the navy as 'extremely fragile,' with ships idle due to problems retaining the staff needed to service and maintain them. What will happen next? The Court of Inquiry could not make findings of guilt, it said, and suggested a separate disciplinary investigation for individual members of the crew who were not named in the report. Their suggested offenses were redacted. The report included a dramatic transcript of what unfolded on the bridge, with one crew member saying to another that the ship was 'not really doing what I want it to do" as they tried to change the vessel's course. 'It's a bad day for the navy,' said Rear Admiral Garin Golding, the leader of the navy. 'Our reputation has taken a hit.' The navy would 'learn from' the episode and ensure it wasn't repeated, he added. Friday's findings, however, also urged recognition for those involved in the decision to abandon ship, who the report found saved lives during the evacuation. What happened to the ship? The specialist dive and hydrographic vessel had been in service for New Zealand since 2019 and was surveying the reef that it ran aground on. Its sinking provoked alarm, demands for compensation and fear of environmental catastrophe for Samoan villagers living on the coast where it capsized, who say they fear permanent damage to the fragile reef ecosystem. A no-fishing zone around the vessel was lifted by Samoa's government in February. New Zealand's military said this month that it had completed months of work to remove diesel fuel and other pollutants from the ship, which remains where it sank. Salvage work to retrieve equipment and weapons continues. Seawater and marine life in the area are 'uncontaminated', the military said, citing Samoa's scientific research agency. A decision about whether the ship will eventually be removed has not been made.
