HMNZS Manawanui was surveying reefs one nautical off the coast of the southern side of Upolu, Samoa’s second largest island, when it ran aground on 5 October.
All 75 crew on board were rescued safely on 5 October in an operation coordinated by Samoa Police, Prisons and Corrections Services with the assistance of Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ).
The crew included seven civilians and four foreign personnel, including one ship rider from Vanuatu.
A Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) P-8A Poseidon alongside personnel from the Australian Defence Force, Samoa Fire and Rescue and the Samoa Police Maritime Wing all took part in the operation.
Just watch the HMNZS Manawanui burn and sink. Sad day for NZ and locals pic.twitter.com/XBMNfC3XJ1
— Dave Poole (@pooliecoast) October 5, 2024
Early on 6 October, Manawanui caught fire, and capsized according to the New Zealand Defence Force:
“At this stage the exact cause of the grounding is unknown and this will need further investigation. At 6.40am Sunday (6 October), the ship was listing heavily and smoke was visible from the ship. At 9.00am it was known to have capsized and was below the surface. The NZDF is working with authorities to understand the implications and minimise the environmental impacts”
Manawanui was originally launched in 2003 as MV Edda Fonn. It was bought by New Zealand for NZ$103 million in 2018. Before arriving in New Zealand, it undertook stage one modification work in Denmark, before being commissioned in June 2019.
A second tranche of modification work was completed in September 2023.
With both of the RNZN’s Protector class offshore patrol vessels laid up in mothballs due to a lack of crew, and Manawanui now out of the picture, the RNZN only has five operational vessels: auxiliary replenishment ship HMNZS Aotearoa (currently deployed in Asia), strategic sea lift vessel HMNZS Canterbury, New Zealand’s two Anzac class frigates HMNZS Te Kaha (currently in Australia) and HMNZS Te Mana, and inshore patrol vessel HMNZS Tupao.