HMNZS Manawanui sinking: What impact will this have on our defence fleet?

A search for answers is underway after HM-NZS Manawanui ran aground and sank near Samoa. 

The $100 million ship left Auckland’s Devonport just over a week ago and was conducting a reef survey off the coast of Samoa but ran aground at 6.46pm on Saturday. 

The ship started to take on water shortly after, and fire broke out as well, prompting an evacuation of all personnel on board.  

In the end, seventy-five crew and passengers were rescued by Samoa’s Fire and Emergency Services Authority 

A Court of Inquiry is underway to find out what happened, while crews are on their way to work out how it can be salvaged and if there’s an environmental concern from leaking fuel. 

Today on The Front Page, Dr John Battersby, a Teaching Fellow in the Centre for Defence and Security at Massey University, joins us to discuss the historic nature of this incident, and its potential impact on geopolitical relationships.  

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You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

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