Crew and passengers of Royal New Zealand Navy Ship HMNZS Manawanui were rescued in the early hours of the morning on Sunday in Samoa after the vessel was grounded off the southern coast of Upolu, Samoa.

The incident occurred on Saturday evening while conducting a hydrographic survey 1 nautical mile from shore.

The 75 crew and passengers from other government agencies began evacuating into lifeboats at 7.52 pm on Saturday 5 October.

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) worked closely with the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCCNZ) who led the rescue effort. Numerous vessels responded to provide assistance, and a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon was also deployed to assist.

Rescuers battled currents and winds that were pushing the life rafts and sea boats toward the reefs, and swells made the rescue effort particularly challenging.

``We are very grateful for the assistance of everyone involved, from RCCNZ who coordinated rescue efforts, to the vessels which responded and took our crew and passengers from Manawanui to safety,’’ Maritime Component Commander Commodore Shane Arndell said.

Those on board the life boats and sea boats from HMNZS Manawanui were transferred to vessels that responded to the rescue call and were transported ashore.

At this stage the exact cause of the grounding is unknown and this will need further investigation. At 6.40 am Sunday, the ship was listing heavily and smoke was visible from the ship. At 9.00 am it was known to have capsized and was below the surface. The NZDF is working with authorities to understand the implications and minimise the environmental impacts.

Support is being provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Samoan authorities to the crew and passengers from Manawanui and they are being accommodated in Samoa. The NZDF will be sending aircraft to Samoa to bring them back to New Zealand.

This was HMNZS Manawanui’s third deployment to the South West Pacific this year. The ship had a series of activities scheduled including in the Kermadec Islands, Samoa, Tokelau and Niue. They sailed from Devonport on 28 September and were due to return home on 1 November.

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