New Zealand Defence Force investigates navy ship sinking

Wellington, Oct 10 (IANS) The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) on Thursday announced details of its Court of Inquiry (COI) into the sinking of a navy ship near the southern coast of Upolu in Samoa.

The multi-purpose maritime support ship HMNZS Manawanui, with a displacement of 5,741 tons, struck a reef and was grounded off Samoa on Saturday while conducting a hydrographic survey one nautical mile from shore. All 75 people aboard were successfully rescued, reports Xinhua news agency.

The COI, which will assemble on Friday, will collect and record evidence and report on the sequence of events leading up to the loss of the ship, the cause of the grounding and subsequent sinking, and details on notification procedures, injuries sustained and any environmental damage, said a NZDF statement.

The COI has also been directed to consider any organizational aspects relevant to the loss and the material state of Manawanui before the grounding, it said.

Built in 2003, the 84.7-meter-long, 18-meter-wide, 6.8-meter-draft ship has been in service with the Royal New Zealand Navy since 2019 and is primarily used for specialized diving, salvage and hydrographic missions around New Zealand and in the southwest Pacific Ocean, and can also support missions to clear explosive remnants of war in the South Pacific, according to the NZDF.