NZ Navy ship caught fire and sank off coast of Upolu
7 October 2024. Government and environmental agencies in Samoa are on alert after a New Zealand Navy ship caught fire and sank off the south coast of Upolu on Sunday morning 6 October.
The HMNZS Manawanui - a specialist dive and hydrographic vessel - was conducting a reef survey when it hit the reef on Saturday night.
Seventy-five crew and passengers were taken off the vessel by liferafts and other boats which came to the rescue.
Samoa fire commissioner Tanuvasa Petone said the ship caught fire and sank on Sunday morning after a successful rescue. Three on board needed hospital treatment, he said.
"They're all on land. They are safe and sound apart from just a few individuals that… have some minor injuries, and so we treated them at the site and transferred to them to the hospital."
Petone said the conditions were "quite rough and windy".
- RNZI
