Finance Minister Nicola Willis says the vessel is covered by “the equivalent of third-party insurance”.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is due to speak to Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking this morning after meeting the sailors when they returned home last night.
Meanwhile, a New Zealand military affairs expert has said the sinking of HMNZS Manawanui in Samoa is a “big loss” for the New Zealand Defence Force.
Seventy-five crew and passengers were rescued by Samoa’s Fire and Emergency Services Authority after the $100 million vessel ran aground south of Upolu, Samoa, on Saturday. It sank early on Sunday.
Professor David Capie of the Victoria University of Wellington Centre for Strategic Studies said the loss of Manawanui was a huge blow to what was already a small Navy.
“New Zealand’s Navy has been under huge pressure in the last few years because of a lack of people, especially in some highly skilled positions like senior maritime engineers,” he said in a statement released by the Science Media Centre.
“That’s meant we simply couldn’t put a lot of ships to sea.”
Royal New Zealand Navy vessel HMNZS Manawanui ran aground near Samoa. Photo / Profile Boats
Capie said New Zealand had six ships it could use before the loss of Manawanui.
“When you think about New Zealand’s enormous maritime environment and the increasing calls on the Defence Force for responding to disasters, fisheries patrols, as well as a much more challenging strategic environment, and you only have five ships, that’s a really concerning place to be.”
Crew and passengers were flown home on a Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) C-130J Hercules last night.
HMNZS Manawanui crew returned to New Zealand last night aboard RNZAF C-130J. Photo / Hayden Woodward.
“The C-130J, which flew to Apia on Sunday evening, was carrying medical and welfare personnel, as well as a dive team and light clean-up equipment.
“It is returning tonight to RNZAF Base Auckland with 72 crew and passengers.
“They will overnight at Defence facilities, have further debriefings and be reunited with their families tomorrow afternoon. Three passengers from another agency will return to New Zealand tomorrow via a commercial flight.”
A second C-130H Hercules aircraft, which took freight to Samoa yesterday morning, returned to New Zealand just before midnight.
Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral Garin Golding, said the full resources of the Defence Force were being made available to support personnel with medical checks, debriefings, psychological support and welfare.
Some people had needed medical treatment, he said.
“All those who had been on board HMNZS Manawanui had been given food and support, and issued with supplies such as dry clothes, shoes and toiletries while they were accommodated in Apia.”
Expert John Battersby told the Herald’s The Front Pagepodcast a new vessel sinking a few years into service was not a good look.
“We have to take that one on the chin. We have taken a hit here. We have lost a vessel in peacetime,” he said.
“It’s two weeks out from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting that is going to be right where our vessel was.”
Defence Minister Judith Collins and Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding fronted a media conference in Auckland on Sunday on the sinking of HMNZS Manawanui off the coast of southern Samoa. Photo / Alex Burton
However, he said, losing a vessel in peacetime was not completely unknown.
“It’s inherently a risky thing to head out on the open sea and other navies have lost vessels in peacetime with far greater consequences.”
Finance Minister Nicola Willis told Newstalk ZB’s Jack Tame the costs were now about salvage and cleanup.
“The ship itself had the equivalent of third-party insurance to provide some cover for that salvage and clean up,” she said.
“The ship itself isn’t covered by insurance so obviously we will need to replace that capability in the future which will come with a cost.
“Historically, Royal New Zealand Navy vessels aren’t insured due to the prohibitive cost.”
Willis said she had been advised the insurance would provide “some cover” for the salvage and clean-up.
Defence Minister Judith Collins earlier told Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking the details of the insurance were “commercially sensitive”.
HMNZS Manawanui sank off the Samoan island of Upolu.
Speaking yesterday, Luxon said he had talked to Samoa’s Acting Prime Minister, Tuala Tevaga Iosefo Ponifasio, as concerns rise in Samoa about oil spillsand pollution from the vessel.
“Our focus now moves to making sure we can mitigate and minimise any environmental impacts.
“They welcomed any and all support we can offer, and that’s what we plan to do. We’re going to do everything it takes to make sure we do the best we can to minimise the environmental impacts.”
He said clean-up teams and spill kits were sent to Samoa on the C-130 that flew to Samoa on Sunday and more equipment and expertise was on the way.
He said Maritime New Zealand had “huge capacity and capability” and was also on the way to assist.
Luxon also said an inquiry into how the accident happened had been set up, and “that should be not speculation, but a facts-driven process”.
A Court of Inquiry into the incident is in the process of being set up.
HMNZS Manawanui left Devonport in Auckland just over a week ago and was conducting a reef survey off the coast of Samoa when it ran aground at 6.46pm on Saturday.
In a press conference at the Devonport Naval Base on Sunday, Golding said attempts to get the vessel off the reef were unsuccessful and when it began to list at 7.52pm, Commander Yvonne Gray decided to evacuate the ship.
About an hour after all personnel on board were rescued at 5.35am on Sunday, the ship started to lean heavily on one side and smoke started pouring out.
