Underwater footage of HMNZS Manawanui in Samoa shows a slow diesel leak from an engine room pipe and vent which is causing a slight sheen on the sea’s surface.
The crew of the Royal Navy’s HMS Tamar have recovered the navigation record book from the HMNZS Manawanui after it struck a reef and sank off Samoa earlier this month.
The navigation record book and black box are expected to be key evidence in the Court of Inquiry.
Defence Minister Judith Collins confirmed small oil leaks from the Manawanui, but no pollution found on shorelines.
The crew of a British warship patrolling near the wreck of the HMNZS Manawanui off Samoa have found what could become a crucial piece of evidence in the official inquiry into how the Royal New Zealand Navy survey vessel struck a reef and sank this month.
Royal Navy offshore patrol vessel HMS Tamar was able to recover the Manawanui’s navigation record book, a New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) spokesman confirmed after Herald inquiries.
News of the discovery of the navigation record book, a log of what happens on the bridge, comes a week after the Defence Force confirmed it had salvaged the black box recorder from the sunken wreck.
The Defence Force spokesman would not comment further on where or how exactly the British sailors were able to recover the log book, saying those details “may fall in the scope of the Court of Inquiry”.
Various other questions this week, including several on the state of the ship before the grounding, met a similar response.
“As your questions fall within the scope of the Court of Inquiry into the event, we have no comment to make,” the Defence spokesman said.
The Herald has sought comment from the Royal Navy in the UK.
Tamar provided “security and logistical support” in the days after the sinking, the Defence Force said earlier. Reports from the Falmouth Packet newspaper in Cornwall, where the Tamar has links, earlier said the patrol ship was monitoring oil pollution and searching for flotsam from the wreck.
It is understood the navigation record book should record all commands issued by a watch keeper responsible for the safe navigation of the ship, as well as those of the navigator or senior officers including the commander, showing the intent of those on the bridge and the actions then taken.
The Herald understands the navigation record book is expected to become important evidence for the Court of Inquiry into the sinking, alongside the black box and evidence from those who were present on the bridge at the time.
Babcock, the firm whose staff provide maintenance for the Manawanui at Devonport, would not answer questions on whether it had launched its own review or made any immediate changes to its procedures.
“We have offered our full support and assistance to the NZDF,” a Babcock spokeswoman said.
“As the situation is now subject to a Court of Inquiry, we will not be commenting further at this stage.”
The HMNZS Manawanui, a specialist survey and dive support vessel, struck a reef on the evening of Saturday, October 5.
It began to list and Commander Yvonne Gray gave the order to abandon ship. A fire broke out in the engine room and the $100 million vessel sank that Sunday morning, off the south coast of the Samoan island of Upolu.
The HMNZS Manawanui billows smoke after it truck the reef. Photo / Profile Boats
The Manawanui was carrying nearly 1000 tonnes of diesel when it sank. Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding said at a press conference a week ago that the main fuel tanks were intact.
Small leaks had come from other areas of the ship, including the fuel lines, Golding said. Minister of Defence Judith Collins also said the leaks were small and being dispersed out to sea.
Local village fishermen and a tour operator reported seeing oil slicks near the reef and surrounding areas where the Manawanui now lies on its side in about 30m of water.
On the Monday after the sinking, the Samoa Conservation Society said on Facebook it “only found limited signs of oil pollution and debris” during a rapid survey.
The latest update from the Defence Force issued on Wednesday afternoon said three containers from the ship remain on the reef. The Defence Force said its personnel and Maritime New Zealand staff had yet to find any pollution on the shorelines or dead wildlife.
Royal New Zealand Air Force drones were surveying the shoreline while a P-8A Poseidon had conducted surveillance flights of the wreck site, the statement said.
Naval divers on the scene above the HMNZS Manawanui, off the southern coast of Upolu. Photo / New Zealand Defence Force
The HMNZS Canterbury arrived in Apia shortly after noon today NZT, according to marine tracking websites. It is there with equipment for the Manawanui response and to support the Samoan Government hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, the statement said.
Last week, the NZDF announced a Court of Inquiry into the Manawanui sinking. Its term of reference direct the court to “collect and record evidence and report on the sequence of events leading up to the loss of the ship, the cause of the grounding and subsequent sinking, and details on notification procedures, injuries sustained and any environmental damage”.
The court was also asked to consider “any organisational aspects relevant to the loss, and the material state of Manawanui prior to the grounding”.
Commodore Melissa Ross, previously the Deputy Chief of Navy and Commander Logistics, was appointed the president of the Court of Inquiry.
Its other members are Captain Andy Mahoney, the commissioning captain of the Manawanui, Group Captain John McWilliam, a former Royal New Zealand Air Force pilot and civilian test pilot, Captain Dean Battilana of the Royal Australian Navy, and Commander Jonathan Rowe, a naval officer who is also a barrister and has been involved in other courts of inquiry.
Golding said he had directed the court to provide an interim report by mid-November and pledged transparency on the court’s findings.
“Given the high level of public interest in this and with transparency at front of mind, I will make the report publicly available to the maximum extent possible consistent with the Privacy Act and my obligations to uphold national security,” he said.
