A New Zealand military inquiry has revealed that a series of human errors along with a lack of training and experience, contributed to the sinking of the HMNZS Manawanui off Samoa’s coast in October 2024.
The Court of Inquiry’s final report, released on 4 April, found that the crew failed to identify risks during a survey near Samoa’s coast and lacked proper supervision.
The Manawanui, a dive and hydrographic vessel, had ran aground on a reef south of Samoa’s Upolu island before catching fire and sinking. All 75 people on board safely evacuated.
An interim report released in November of 2024 highlighted that the crew had not realized autopilot was engaged and did not check the ship’s manual control, leading to the vessel heading toward land.
In addition, the final report pointed to other issues, including insufficient training and personnel as well as poor risk management. It also mentioned a shortage of staff in New Zealand’s navy which led to the organization taking risks with inexperienced workforce.
As reported, the inquiry included a dramatic transcript from the ship’s bridge, where crew members expressed concern that the ship was not responding correctly while attempting to change course.
New Zealand Navy Chief Garin Golding also acknowledged that the navy’s reputation was damaged but emphasized that the lessons from this event would lead to improvements.
