Wellington: An official government inquiry has determined that the grounding and sinking of a Royal New Zealand Navy vessel off the coast of Samoa last month was caused by human error. The incident occurred on October 5 when HMNZS Manawanui, the Navy’s specialist dive and hydrographic vessel, ran aground on a reef on the southern side of Samoa while conducting survey operations. Fortunately, all 75 crew members on board survived.
Rear Admiral Gavin Golding, head of the New Zealand Navy, confirmed on Friday that the grounding was the direct result of a series of human errors. Specifically, the ship’s autopilot was not disengaged at the appropriate time, leading to the vessel continuing on its course without proper navigation adjustments. The crew was unaware that the autopilot was still active and, as a result, believed the ship’s failure to respond to direction changes was due to a malfunction in the thruster control.
The broader causes of the crew’s failure to detect the autopilot error are still under investigation, with a more comprehensive inquiry expected to be completed by the first quarter of next year. Rear Admiral Golding indicated that the results of this inquiry would help explain why the crew did not identify the issue sooner.
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Once the inquiry is concluded, a separate disciplinary process will be launched to address the actions of those involved in the incident, Golding added.
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The sinking of Manawanui highlights ongoing challenges for New Zealand’s Navy, which has been struggling with a shortage of resources. At the time of the incident, three of the Navy’s nine ships were already idle due to personnel shortages.
