A series of human errors caused the grounding and eventual sinking of HMNZS Manawanui off the coast of Samoa on October 5, 2024, according to an interim Court of Inquiry report released by the Royal New Zealand Navy.
During survey operations, the ship struck a reef, capsized, and sank the next morning. Fortunately, all crew members survived.
Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral Garin Golding, said the main cause was the failure to disengage the ship’s autopilot. “The crew didn’t realize Manawanui was still in autopilot mode.
They mistakenly thought the ship failed to respond due to a thruster control issue,” he explained. This misjudgment led the ship to continue its course toward land despite efforts to turn it.
The Manawanui’s crew attempted a routine turn within the survey area but noticed the ship was not responding as expected at around 6:15 p.m. on October 5. Believing a thruster failure, they tried to stop the vessel, but it continued moving toward the reef at over 10 knots.
At 6:17 p.m., it grounded for the first time and scraped along the reef for another 635 meters, grounding multiple times before becoming stranded.
The crew finally identified the autopilot issue at 6:27 PM, ten minutes after the initial grounding. They were unsuccessful despite efforts to regain control and manoeuvre the ship off the reef.
By 6:46 p.m., the ship was unstable, and the crew decided to abandon it. Rear Admiral Golding credited the timely evacuation and the crew’s decision to keep the generators running to prevent serious injuries or deaths.
Once the crew had abandoned the ship, fires broke out onboard. The Manawanui capsized and sank the next morning, on October 6.
Rear Admiral Golding mentioned that several contributing factors beyond the primary human errors were identified. These will be examined in more detail during the next phase of the inquiry, which is expected to conclude in early 2025.
Disciplinary actions are likely to follow once the full investigation is complete.
The Navy has already implemented changes to prevent similar incidents based on lessons from the interim report. “We’ve conducted fleet-wide audits and are improving training, risk management, and operational procedures,” Golding added.
The investigation has received support from the Transport Accident Investigation Committee, the Royal Australian Navy, and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Evidence was gathered through crew interviews, expert testimonies, and ship data.
Golding thanked Samoan authorities for their assistance and emphasised the Navy’s commitment to learning from the incident. “I want to reassure the public that we will learn from this. As Chief of Navy, it’s my responsibility to earn back your trust,” he said.
He acknowledged the bravery and dedication of the crew. “No one comes to work expecting a day like this. While no lives were lost, the impact on the crew is real, and we’re providing ongoing support to those who were onboard.”
The Navy’s immediate focus is on implementing changes and ensuring such errors don’t happen again. “We have incredible people in our Defence Force, and it’s our duty to learn and improve from this situation,” Golding concluded.
Reference: NZDF
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