New Zealand announced on Sunday the rescue of 75 passengers from an oceanographic ship of its navy. The ship struck a reef off the coast of the Samoa Islands and then sank while studying the reef. But the passengers are safe and sound.
“The incident happened on Saturday evening“, explained the army, specifying that the 75 people on board had “left the ship in lifeboats and boats after the grounding“. The vessel in question, the “HMNZS Manawanui” according to Rear Admiral Shane Arndell, struck a reef near the Samoan island of Upolu, in the South Pacific.
Videos published by local media appear to show the ship belching smoke before sinking. “All 75 crew members and passengers on board HMNZS Manawanui have arrived safely in Samoa“Shane Arndell said in a statement.
The exact cause of the sinking is not yet known.
The rescuers had to fight against the currents and winds which had pushed the boats carrying the survivors towards the reefs, the swell having “made the rescue effort particularly arduous“, according to the New Zealand Army.
The “HMNZS Manawanui” was carrying out hydrographic surveys one nautical mile from the coast in difficult conditions.
Built in 2003, the oceanographic building was purchased by New Zealand from Norway in 2019.
Samoan authorities had issued an alert for the southern coast of the island of Upolu over the weekend. A swell with waves rising up to four meters was forecast at the time of the incident.
