Crew errors caused New Zealand navy ship to sink off Samoa coast, inquest finds

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – Mistakes by crew members caused a New Zealand navy ship to run aground off the coast of Samoa, where it caught fire and sank, according to the preliminary findings of the Military Court of Inquiry released. On Friday.

The ship's crew did not realize that the pilot was responsible, believed something else went wrong with the ship, and did not check that HMNZS Manawanui was under manual control as it continued to head for land, the preliminary investigation report said. The full report has not been released.

All 75 people on board got out safely as the boat drifted 1.6 kilometers off the coast of Upolu, Samoa, in October. The ship was one of only nine in New Zealand's navy and was the country's first lost at sea since World War II.

Officials did not know the cause of the sinking at the time, and the Head of the Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding ordered a Court of Inquiry to investigate.

“The exact cause of the ship's grounding was determined to be a series of human errors which meant that the pilot of the ship was not terminated when it should have been,” Golding told reporters in Auckland on Friday. “The muscle memory from the person in control had to lean on that panel and check if the screen said autopilot or not.”

The crew “mistakenly believed that their failure to respond when changing direction was the result of a failure to control the thruster.” A number of contributing factors were identified, Golding said, including training, planning, supervision, preparedness and risk assessment.

The Court of Inquiry is expected to continue until the first quarter of next year. Golding said that if human error is considered the cause, a separate disciplinary process will be initiated after an investigation.

Three workers who were on the bridge at the time of the disaster are likely to face the process, Golding added. It was the officer in charge of the ship, the officer in charge of the person and the captain of the ship. The navy chief would say no names.

“I want to assure the New Zealand public that we will learn from this situation and that it is up to me, as Chief of the Navy, to restore their trust,” Golding said.

In the days after the sinking, New Zealand's Defense Minister harshly reprimanded “misogynistic” internet commentators who targeted the ship's captain for being a woman.

The professional diving and hydrographic vessel has been operating in New Zealand since 2019 and has been investigating the rock it fell on.

The sinking caused panic in Samoa's coastal towns near the accident due to the damage caused by the ship's diesel spill at sea. New Zealand officials have since said that much of the fuel has been consumed in the fire and that no environmental damage has been recorded.

The current flow of fuel into the ocean is “a bit of a leak” that divers are looking at, Golding said on Friday. Specialist equipment will be transported from New Zealand to Samoa by sea, starting this week, to remove fuel and other possible contaminants from the ship.

New Zealand officials have not made public plans to remove the ship from the water.

“This has affected our reputation,” said Golding. “We're going to own it, fix it and learn from it.”