· NZDF Senior National Representative for Operation Resolution, Commodore Andrew Brown said, “Another important milestone in Operation Resolution has been reached with the work to retrieve important equipment, weapons, ammunition and some debris from in and around HMNZS Manawanui now complete.” This follows the successful removal of diesel fuel, oil and other pollutants from the ship.

· “I’d like to take this opportunity to formally acknowledge the salvors, Pacific7 Limited & Bay Underwater Services NZ Limited for their careful and thorough work. We also appreciate the local Samoan Authorities and Government officials, who have continued to provide their oversight, expertise and assistance throughout this important work.”

· “All the equipment, weapons and the ammunition has now been returned to NZ on military flights, and much of the scrap metal debris has gone to be repurposed locally,” said Commodore Brown. “The rest of the debris, along with tanktainers of unusable diesel fuel, pollutants, and oil mix will return to New Zealand on the salvors' barge for safe disposal.”

· While sea conditions have delayed lifting the specialised anchoring and mooring installations critical to securing the barge in place over Manawanui, the salvors have spent time in the Port of Apia reconfiguring the barge from a salvage diving setup, to allow for the transport of equipment safely back to NZ.

· Commodore Brown said, “Every effort has been taken to leave the Manawanui as safe and secure as possible, until a decision is reached on next steps for the ship and the work required for that. In the meantime the Government of Samoa’s Prohibited Area of 2kms around the Manawanui will remain in place.”

· “With our focus on the next steps for Manawanui, reef and environmental studies are progressing to inform and sit alongside the independent wreck assessment. These will take time, but will provide essential expert advice, to inform government decisions.”

· Commodore Brown said, “A core NZDF task group remains in Samoa to support the ongoing response, allowing for skilled people to come in at the right point, as we progress the next steps.”

· “The work to remove potential environmental risks has been extremely technical and challenging, but incredibly important for the marine and coastal environment on Upolu’s south coast and we continue to be absolutely committed to doing the right thing into the future.”

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