A sunken timebomb? Samoa fears long-lasting damage from wrecked New Zealand navy ship

New Zealand navy vessel HMNZS Manawanui ran aground near the southern coast of Upolu, Samoa, earlier this month as it was conducting a reef survey. Photograph: New Zealand Defence Force

From the sky you can see it. A long white blot in the perfect blue. The HMNZS Manawanui lies about 35 metres beneath the surface of Samoa’s southern coastal waters, now just the ghost of a navy ship.

But what can’t be seen is the damage left in its wake – to the reef nearby and to the clear waters off the Pacific country, whose way of life is dependent on the ocean.