HMNZS Manawanui: Defence Minister Judith Collins slates ‘misogynistic’ criticism of Navy commander after ship sinking

Defence Minister Judith Collins has labelled sexist criticism of the female commander of doomed Royal New Zealand Navy ship the HMNZS Manawanui, which sank off the Samoan coast, as “deeply misogynistic”.

Speaking about the abuse faced by commanding oficer Commander Yvonne Gray, Collins said New Zealanders should “be better”.

She delivered a broadside at the “deeply concerning, misogynistic narrative” directed at Gray.

Collins took aim at what she called “armchair admirals”, including a Melbourne truck driver, criticising the captain, she said.

She urged the man to stick to his area of expertise.

“The one thing we know did not cause [the sinking] was the gender of the ship’s captain.”

Collins said women in uniform had been abused on the streets after the disaster.

“I’m appalled to hear our women in uniform are being abused in the street because of this incident.”

She added she was shocked by the vile comments posted online about the commander.

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Collins made the comments during a joint press conference with Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding after the ship lost power and hit a reef on Saturday night before catching fire and sinking early on Sunday.

The pair announced a Court of Inquiry had been set up to establish what caused the incident.

The update also came after conflicting reports on whether the sunken HMNZS Manawanui was leaking oil into the ocean off the south coast of the Samoan island of Upolu.

Collins said the ship’s fuel had been contained but there were reports of “very small” leaks coming from other areas of the ship, including pipes that carry fuel around the ship.

Golding confirmed the main tanks were intact.

Current indications were that little to none of this fuel had come onto beaches or the reef.

Collins also said modelling estimated only 10% of any oil was likely to remain longer than 24 hours – as it was being dispersed out to sea by wind and waves.

The wreck is monitored daily and the light oil slick is being monitored from the air.

“While this remains an incredibly serious incident... it is tracking as well as we could hope for at this point.

“What is not tracking well is the deeply concerning misogynistic narrative that reared its head before our people had even made it home to New Zealand.”

Defence Minister Judith Collins (left) and Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding. Photo / Jason Dorday

On Thursday morning, Deputy Chief of Navy Commodore Andrew Brown told RNZ’s Morning Report the latest update he had received was that the oil was contained.

“The fuel is contained within its fuel tanks and we’ve got no indication of any leaking coming from those tanks,” Brown said.

The New Zealand Defence Force confirmed Manawanui was carrying nearly 1000 tonnes of diesel when it sank.

Footage from Samoa showed a sea turtle struggling in an oil spill near the wreck site.

Local village fishermen and a tour operator reported seeing oil slicks near the reef and surrounding areas where the HMNZS Manawanui now lies, off the southern coast of Upolu.

Tour operator Brent Ross, of Offshore Adventures, told the Herald earlier this week he saw a large amount of diesel near the wreck.

On Monday, the Samoa Conservation Society said on Facebook it “only found limited signs of oil pollution and debris” during a rapid survey.

“It is possible however that there is an oil slick on the reef or in the ocean and it is being dispersed in the high seas and swell,” the society wrote.

“It is also possible that there was a diesel spill when the boat went down which is not as visible as heavy fuel oil but is nevertheless damaging to wildlife.”

Further surveys were needed to determine the extent of any spills, it said. Metal shipping containers and other debris from the boat including diving gear had washed up on shore and been collected by locals.

The stricken HMNZS Manawanui billows smoke before sinking below the waves after it struck a reef. Photo / Profile Boats

“We were told of a number of sea turtles that had died at Sataoa tai and were also informed by a local fisherman that there had been some oil washed up on the beach at Sataoa tai yesterday and there had been a strong smell of oil along the shore.”

When the Navy ship HMNZS Manawanui began to list on Saturday evening, Commander Yvonne Gray decided to evacuate the ship. Photo / NZ Defence Force

Gray has not spoken to media regarding the sinking.

But she was quoted at the end of the Defence Force press release on Tuesday as saying the incident was when her “very worst imagining became a reality”.

“However, my team responded in exactly the way I needed them to. They acted with commitment, with comradeship and, above all, with courage.”

The ship’s equivalent of an airplane’s black box flight recorder has since been salvaged from the wreck.

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