A New Zealand navy ship sank off the coast of Samoa due to crew mistakes, as revealed by a preliminary report from a military Court of Inquiry. The incident occurred when the ship, HMNZS Manawanui, ran aground on a reef and caught fire, leading to its sinking. Fortunately, all 75 individuals on board were safely evacuated.
The inquiry found that the crew was unaware that the autopilot was engaged, mistakenly believing that another issue was affecting the ship. This led to a failure to switch to manual control, causing the vessel to continue towards land. The Court of Inquiry highlighted human errors as the primary cause of the grounding.
Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding emphasized that the crew's failure to disengage the autopilot was a critical mistake. He mentioned that a series of contributing factors, including training, planning, supervision, readiness, and risk assessment, played a role in the incident.
Following the inquiry, a disciplinary process is expected to commence, particularly for three crew members who were on the bridge during the disaster. These individuals, including the officer in control, a supervising officer, and the ship's commanding officer, are likely to face consequences for their roles in the incident.
The sinking of the HMNZS Manawanui, one of New Zealand's nine navy ships, marked the country's first loss at sea since World War II. The vessel, which had been in service since 2019, was conducting a survey of the reef where it ultimately ran aground.
Efforts are underway to address the environmental impact of the sinking, with concerns about diesel fuel leakage into the ocean. While most of the fuel burned off during the fire, a slow leak is being monitored, and plans are in place to remove remaining pollutants from the ship.
Despite the reputational impact of the incident, Rear Admiral Golding assured the public that lessons would be learned and corrective actions taken to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
