Uncertain Amount of Fuel Remains Aboard Lost Survey Ship Manawanui

Poor weather has repeatedly delayed the pollution-abatement operation for the wreck of the New Zealand naval survey ship HMNZS Manawanui, which grounded and sank off Samoa in October 2024, and New Zealand’s representatives have declined to update local media on the amount of fuel left in her tanks. 

After the sinking, New Zealand’s defense department initially said that Manawanui contained about one million liters of fuel in her tanks, and maintains that minimal amounts leaked out after the sinking. After several rounds of dive operations, a commercial contractor has recovered an estimated 340,000 liters of petroleum, the service confirmed to New Zealand outlet Stuff – but officials declined to say how much fuel remains on the ship. 

The task was supposed to finish in January, but has taken longer than expected. The salvor continues to work on recovering remaining amounts of fuel from the vessel’s tanks and compartments; conditions on scene are challenging, including periods of rough weather and a difficult location at the edge of the reef. 

The ship will likely remain in place and become a part of the reef structure, New Zealand defense minister Judith Collins told local media. Despite local complaints about the smell of diesel fuel, the government of Samoa “has decided it wants it to stay where it is,” she said. Collins suggested that it will likely be a diving attraction when cleanup operations are completed, much like an artificial reef. 

HMNZS Manawanui went aground near a reef on the southern coast of Upolu, Samoa on October 5. The commanding officer ordered the 75 crewmembers aboard the vessel to abandon ship, and all made it safely to shore, despite rough surface conditions. Several of the survivors were injured while cross…