Equipment, weapons and ammunition from the sunken HMNZS Manawanui have been returned to New Zealand on military flights, and much of the scrap metal debris has been repurposed locally, said the New Zealand Defence Force.

The New Zealand Navy ship sank off the coast of Tafitoala on 6 October 2024. The NZDF, with hired salvors, have been removing diesel fuel, oil and other pollutants from the ship. The ship leaked more than 200,000 litres of diesel after it struck the reef, causing a prohibition on fishing for nine villages for whom that was their source of income.

The prohibition was lifted almost five months later after constant testing determined that diesel content in the water was very low.

NZDF Senior National Representative for Operation Resolution, Commodore Andrew Brown, said another important milestone in Operation Resolution had been reached with the work to retrieve important equipment, weapons, ammunition and some debris from in and around HMNZS Manawanui.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to formally acknowledge the salvors, Pacific7 Limited & Bay Underwater Services NZ Limited, for their careful and thorough work. We also appreciate the local Samoan Authorities and Government officials, who have continued to provide their oversight, expertise and assistance throughout this important work,” he said.

“All the equipment, weapons and the ammunition have now been returned to NZ on military flights, and much of the scrap metal debris has gone to be repurposed locally.

The rest of the debris, along with tanktainers of unusable diesel fuel, pollutants, and oil-mix will return to New Zealand on the salvors' barge for safe disposal.”

Commodore Brown said while the sea conditions delayed lifting the specialised anchoring and mooring installations critical to securing the barge in place over Manawanui, the salvors have spent time in the Port of Apia reconfiguring the barge from a salvage diving setup, to allow for the transport of equipment safely back to NZ.

“Every effort has been taken to leave the Manawanui as safe and secure as possible, until a decision is reached on next steps for the ship and the work required for that. In the meantime, the Government of Samoa’s Prohibited Area of two kilometres around the Manawanui will remain in place,” he said.

“With our focus on the next steps for Manawanui, reef and environmental studies are progressing to inform and sit alongside the independent wreck assessment. These will take time, but will provide essential expert advice to inform government decisions.”

Commodore Brown said a core NZDF task group remained in Samoa to support the ongoing response, allowing for skilled people to come in at the right point, as they progressed to the next steps.

“The work to remove potential environmental risks has been extremely technical and challenging, but incredibly important for the marine and coastal environment on Upolu’s south coast, and we continue to be committed to doing the right thing into the future,” he said.