New Zealand Releases First Video of Lost Survey Ship
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has released its first video of the wreck of the lost survey ship HMNZS Manawanui, along with images of the slight fuel sheen on the surface near the site. Encouragingly, the agency believes that the limited fuel leak seen at the site is not from the main fuel tanks, but from a much smaller source in the engine room.
"HMNZS Manawanui's large fuel tanks almost certainly remain intact," said the NZDF in a statement. "Based on the estimated diesel sheen size, it is likely significantly less diesel has leaked than initially assessed."
On October 5, the research ship HMNZS Manawanui grounded off the southern coast of the island of Upolu, Samoa. The ship was carrying out a hydrographic survey and was operating about one nautical mile from shore in rough and windy conditions. Under circumstances that are still being investigated, the ship struck bottom, listed, caught fire and sank.
All 75 crewmembers and scientists aboard successfully abandoned ship and made it ashore, despite rough conditions. One lifeboat capsized and the survivors had to walk across the reef to reach the beach, sustaining cuts and abrasions in the process. 14 people came away with minor injuries, but all survived.
New Zealand's navy continues regular surveys of the beach near the wreck site, and so far it has not found any sign of pollution or fuel spill impact on the shoreline. The Royal New Zealand Air Force has provided drone overflight services to help monitor for contamination, and so far it has not observed any shoreline impacts either.
An overflight by an NZDF P-8 Poseidon on Thursday confirmed the presence of a 350-meter light slick, stretching away from shore and dissipating out at sea. Luckily, Manawanui was carrying only diesel fuel - not sludgy, hard-to-remove heavy fuel oil - so the potential for lasting pollution is low.
Three containers from Manawanui washed over the side and floated up on the reef. One contained rigging, which has been recovered; one more contained food, and the other contained trash. The NZDF has set up a hotline in Samoa for local residents to report any debris that drifts ashore. So far, with local assistance, NZDF personnel have recovered and removed about one tonne of debris.
Deputy Chief of the Navy Commodore Andrew Brown told RNZ that the service is still working out the best options for addressing the remaining 950 tonnes of diesel fuel aboard Manawanui and formulating a response plan for the wreck itself. The vessel sits in 30 meters of water next to a reef, and the question of whether to attempt to raise it - at exceptional cost - has not yet been settled.
"The recovery efforts will take time, but New Zealand is committed to doing the right thing," he told RNZ. "We're committed to working with the Samoan government and we will continue to work from on site and from back from New Zealand in supporting the overarching operation and the removal of Manawanui."