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The third and final container from the sunken HMNZS Manawanui is being floated towards the shore.

Photo/NZDF

Environment

HMNZS Manawanui: Containers removed as oil spill cleanup put on hold due to CHOGM

New Zealand's Defence Force says debris, including all three containers from the stricken ship, have been taken out of the sea.

Three containers from the sunken HMNZS Manawanui have now been removed from a reef the navy vessel hit in Sāmoa more than two weeks ago, the New Zealand Defence Force says.

However, the NZDF could not say when the fuel tanks from the stricken vessel would be removed.

The HMNZS Manawanui sinks to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean on 7 October, 2024. Photo/supplied

The first of the 10ft-long shipping containers was successfully removed on Saturday, while the third and final container was taken out of the water on Wednesday.

The NZDF said two containers were empty, while one had food.

The containers have all been safely disposed of at the nearby port, and the food is buried at a landfill, it said.

The Royal New Zealand Navy ship was also carrying 950 tonnes (950,000 litres) of fuel when it ran aground on Tafitoala Reef on 6 October and sank the next day.

More than 70 crew were rescued and have since returned home.

Deputy Chief of Navy, Commodore Andrew Brown, said it took four days of coordination between the NZDF, local contractor Ark Marine, and the Sāmoan authorities to remove the containers.

He said monitoring of the Manawanui and shoreline would continue during the Commonwealth heads of government gathering in Apia this week.

"This was a complex team effort where safety was paramount, and I want to thank and acknowledge all those involved in the process," Brown said.

Sāmoa's Marine Pollution Advisory Committee chair Fui Tupai Mau Simanu says they have been closely monitoring the oil spill from the Manawanui. Photo/RNZ

"This [monitoring] means one dive, one drone flight, and one beach patrol daily, with the timing coordinated so as not to disrupt the event."

Sāmoa's Marine Pollution Advisory Committee reported up to 200,000 litres of diesel leaked from three places on the ship in the first week of its sinking.

It said a contractor would remove the remaining fuel from the vessel now that an insurance surveyor had completed an assessment of the oil spill.

Committee chair Fui Tupai Mau Simanu said salvaging the fuel was expected to start in mid-November and could take up to 20 days.

But he said this would all depend on the weather, given the Pacific's cyclone season is from November to April.

The cleanup has been put on hold as Sāmoa hosts Commonwealth leaders. Photo/NZDF

Talitoala is one the villages near the site and Mayor Taloaileono Vasasou says they want the stricken vessel taken out of the water "as soon as possible".

He said they have written to the government, pleading to have the Manawanui removed from the reef.

"These waters are our livelihood. Our people depend on it to survive. We have been told not to fish in our waters. How ridiculous is that?

"We have not heard back from the government regarding our letter. But all we want is for Sāmoa and New Zealand to remove the ship from the water."

The Manawanui cleanup was put on hold during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which was opened on Thursday by King Charles III.

Charles and wife Camilla arrived in Sāmoa from Australia where the royal couple started their Autumn Tour. They return home on Saturday, Apia time.

More than 3000 delegates are in Sāmoa for women, youth, people, and business forums with the leaders' meeting to end the weeklong event.

Samoa's Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mata'afa said dive and coastal operations around the Manawanui were scaled down from Monday and would resume next week.

She told the media that work to prevent widespread pollution from the Manawanui has been tracking well since it sank.

But she added that was put on hold this week as the country hosts CHOGM which ends on Saturday.

Sāmoan Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mata'afa at the launch of the joint women, youth, and people's forums in Apia. Photo/CHOGM