New Zealand naval ship catches fire and sinks off Samoa

A New Zealand navy ship carrying 75 crew members and passengers caught fire and sank off Samoa, but all on board are safe, the New Zealand Defence Force said on Sunday.

The Royal New Zealand Navy vessel HMNZS Manawanui ran aground near the southern coast of Upolu Island in Samoa while conducting a reef survey.

Videos shared on social media show thick plumes of grey smoke rising after the vessel, which cost the New Zealand government over NZ$100m (US$63m), ran aground.

The over 5700-tonne, 84m-long ship capsized and was below the surface around 9am local time on Sunday, the New Zealand Defence Force said in a statement.

It had been useful for coastal and harbour surveys, underwater explosive disposal, and underwater search and recovery, the defence department said.

Crew and passengers, including seven engaged in scientific work and four foreign personnel, were assisted and rescued by nearby vessels, Commodore Shane Arndell of the defence force said.

A plane is scheduled to depart for Samoa on Sunday to bring the rescued crew and passengers back to New Zealand.

The root cause of the ship’s grounding has yet to be determined.

“I look forward to pinpointing the cause so that we can learn from it and avoid a repeat,” NZ Defence Minister Judith Collins said describing the vessel’s grounding as “really challenging for everybody on board”.

“I know that what has happened is going to take quite a bit of time to process,” she said.

Samoa fire and rescue officials shared their account of the incident on Facebook.

“Our fire rescue team responded to the Manawanui vessel Navy crew in distress, working from last night until this morning,” the rescuers said.

“Fortunately, no one was heavily injured and no lives were lost. We’re proud to say we saved them,” they posted.

Photos shared by the firefighters show navy personnel being taken ashore and a distressed man being stretchered off. Another photo shows a lineup of about a dozen navy officers standing on the Samoa island shore, with palm trees behind them.

“If you’re unsure about our sea areas, please be careful, take caution, and stay safe,” the Samoa rescuers posted on Facebook.