Samoan residents are calling for compensation from the government of Aotearoa New Zealand, following the sinking of a NZ Navy vessel in their waters last month.
The HMNZS Manawanui, a NZ Defence Force (NZDF) ship, ran aground off the southern coast of the island of Upolu on October 5. The vessel — carrying 950 tonnes (1.1 million litres) of diesel — caught fire, capsized and sank hours after it hit the Tafitoala Reef in treacherous winds and seas.
The research vessel was conducting a reef survey when the incident occurred. All 75 crew and passengers were rescued by Samoan emergency services in coordination with the NZ Rescue Coordination Centre.
A local who witnessed the vessel sailing close to the reef just before it ran aground said: “It bewilders me as to why he was there. I know it’s a scientific research boat but he shouldn’t have been that close to the reef. There’s no reason to be that close to the reef, not with the amount of swell that was around.”
NZ Defence Minister Judith Collins initially described the amount of fuel coming out of the wreck as “a little trickle”. Later, the NZDF was forced to admit that fuel was leaking from three locations on the Manawanui’s underside.
Samoa’s Marine Pollution Advisory Committee (MPAC) estimates that 200,000 litres of diesel have spilled from the Manawanui since it sank. After initially agreeing with this assessment, the NZDF backtracked and claimed that the amount is less than this.
Nevertheless, villagers on the south coast of Upolu have been barred from fishing and other water activities due to the risk of contamination. MPAC chairperson Fui Tupai Mau Simanu told people to “refrain from fishing there for the moment [while] testing is being carried out. Just because there’s no oil washing on the shores doesn’t mean that the water is not contaminated.”
These restrictions are causing hardship for locals. A resident was quoted as saying that families were left eating coconut cream and taro because they could not fish to feed themselves.
Many Samoans practice a subsistence-based lifestyle, living off food caught from the sea. The local economy relies heavily on the ocean, too — fishers sell their catch in villages and markets, and tourism operators offer surfing, fishing and sightseeing excursions. These operators have seen a sharp decline in bookings since the incident.
Aotearoa NZ’s government has dubbed its recovery and clean-up efforts “Operation Resolution”. After the sinking, three shipping containers washed up on the reef, leading to fears the vessel was being further damaged by ocean currents. They were eventually removed by the NZDF in mid-October.
Salvaging the fuel tanks is expected to start in mid-November and will take around 20 days, weather permitting. It is less certain when the wreck will be extracted. Simanu said it could take until April or May next year. The cyclone season typically starts in November and is likely to cause delays.
Clean-up and recovery work was put on hold for a week last month while Samoa hosted the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
The delay generated anger amongst locals, whose way of life and livelihoods continue to hang in the balance. Representatives of village communities met with government officials and a team from the NZ High Commission on October 17 and expressed their anger at the lack of support from both governments.
Reverend Feata Perelini, from the village of Lotofaga, said he was disappointed by government claims that the oil spilling from the wreck has been relatively harmless, pointing out that coral reefs were substantially damaged. He said that the wreckage will have a lifelong impact on the local communities who depend on the sea: “If it is long term then people will become poor and it affects families.”
Questions were also asked about what support both governments would provide families who depend on the sea as a source of income and to feed their children.
The NZDF has launched a formal court of inquiry into how the Manawanui ended up on the reef. That process will take up to two months.
However, local representatives have publicly questioned the independence of a NZ government inquiry, and called for a third party to investigate the incident and the potential long-term impact on the marine ecosystem.