Inquiry ordered for New Zealand navy ship that sank near Samoa

The New Zealand government wants to know how one of its nine warships caught fire and sank over the weekend after it grounded on a reef off the coast of Samoa.

The navy on Monday ordered a court of inquiry to investigate the total loss of the HMNZS Manawanui, a hydrographic survey and salvage vessel.

Its captain, Cmdr. Yvonne Gray, ordered the evacuation of the ship early Sunday before the Manawanui capsized and sank. New Zealand officials said all 75 crew and passengers safely got off the ship.

At a press conference over the weekend, Rear Adm. Garin Golding, commander of the New Zealand navy, said Cmdr. Gray’s decision to abandon the rapidly sinking Manawanui likely prevented the loss of life.

“The exact cause of the grounding is unknown. This will need further investigations,” Adm. Golding said.

The New Zealand navy is supporting the Samoan government to mitigate any possible environmental impact from the sinking of the Manawanui, Adm. Golding said.

Several vessels responded to the stricken ship to assist. A Royal New Zealand air force P-8A Poseidon aircraft was deployed to offer an aerial view of the scene. The sea conditions made the recovery efforts particularly challenging. The rescuers battled currents and winds that pushed the life rafts toward the jagged reefs, officials said.

“We are very grateful for the assistance of everyone involved, from the [New Zealand Rescue Coordination Center] who coordinated rescue efforts, to the vessels which responded and took our crew and passengers from Manawanui to safety,” Commodore Shane Arndell, New Zealand’s Maritime Component Commander said.

The country’s finance minister confirmed that the ship, which cost New Zealand taxpayers the equivalent of about U.S. $62 million, wasn’t fully insured at the time it capsized and sank early Sunday.

The Manawanui had “some” coverage but not enough to cover the full cost of salvage and clean-up, the New Zealand Herald newspaper reported.

“Historically, Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) vessels aren’t insured due to the prohibitive cost. That’s been the case of successive governments,” Finance Minister Nicola Willis told the newspaper. “Even if policies like that are purchased, they’ve got such limitations and exclusions and conditions that they’re not really a viable product.”