USNI News

New Zealand Navy hydrographic ship HMNZS Manawanui sinks near Samoa

By Dzirhan Mahadzir

6 October 2024

Source: https://news.usni.org/2024/10/06/new-zealand-navy-hydrographic-ship-hmnzs-manawanu-sinks-near-samoa

HMNZS Manawanui (A09) after it grounded on a reef off Samoa

Royal New Zealand Navy hydrographic dive and survey ship HMNZS Manawanui (A09) sank on Sunday after running aground off the southern coast of the island of Upolu, Samoa. The ship ran aground on Saturday evening while on a survey mission in the area. All aboard were rescued.

A New Zealand Defense Force release on Sunday stated that the incident occurred on Saturday evening while the ship conducted a hydrographic survey 1 nautical mile from shore with the 75 crew and passengers evacuating into lifeboats that evening.

The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand led the rescue effort, numerous vessels responded to assist, and a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft was also deployed to help, according to the release. 

Samoa lies within the RCCNZ’s area of responsibility for Search and Rescue operations. Manawanui’s crew and passengers transferred from their lifeboats and sea boats to vessels that responded to the rescue call and were transported ashore stated the release.

At 6:40 a.m. on Sunday, the ship was listing heavily and smoke was visible from the ship and by 9:00 a.m. it had capsized and underwater.

The ship left New Zealand on Sept. 28, on its third deployment and was scheduled to return home on Nov. 1. The ship was launched in 2003 as MV Edda Fonn and worked as a survey vessel in the oil and gas industry before being purchased by New Zealand in 2018 and entering service in 2019.

The loss of Manawanui has reduced the RNZN fleet to eight ships and added to tfleet availability issues. The RNZN have laid up three ships, offshore patrol vessels HMNZS Otago (P148) and HMNZS Wellington (P55), and inshore patrol vessels HMNZS Hawea (P3571), due to a lack of personnel to crew the ships. 

Frigate HMNZS Te Mana (F111) is in the midst of an extended maintenance period which includes upgrades to its communication systems, leaving now only four ships on operational status – frigate HMNZS Te Kaha (F77), multi-role vessel HMNZS Canterbury (L421), fleet oiler HMNZS Aotearoa (A11) and inshore patrol vessel HMNZS Taupo (P3570).

Currently, Te Kaha is operating near Australia, as part of its training schedule in preparing for deployment next year while Aotearoa is operating in South East Asia, having left New Zealand in June for a five-month deployment which included participating in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2024 exercise and conducting monitoring and surveillance operations on North Korean sanctions evasion at sea in mid-August to mid-September. 

A Japan Ministry of Defense release stated that Aotearoa’s participation in the operation was the first time for a New Zealand ship.

Following the conclusion of the surveillance operation, Aotearoa, together with Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) destroyer JS Sazanami (DD-113) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN) destroyer HMAS Sydney (DDG-42) conducted a transit of the Taiwan Strait on Sept. 25 and took part in multinational drills in the South China Sea on Sept. 28.