New Zealand navy ship sank due to 'human errors', probe finds

An inquiry by a New Zealand military court found that the incident where the country’s naval vessel sank after hitting a reef earlier this year took place due to "a series of human errors." The findings of the inquiry were made public on Friday (Nov 29). The ship was conducting a survey off the coast of Samoa when it struck the reef.

The court found that at the time of the accident, the HMNZS Manawanui's "autopilot was not disengaged when it should have been." The crew believed the vessel was under manual control while navigating Samoan waters.

In a briefing, on Friday, Navy Admiral Garin Golding said that the crew mistakenly thought they were dealing with a "thruster control failure." 

"The crew did not realize Manawanui remained in autopilot and, as a consequence, mistakenly believed its failure to respond to direction changes was the result of a thruster control failure," he said.

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Golding also added that the crew failed to check if the ship was actually under manual control. "This check did not occur. Remaining in autopilot resulted in the ship maintaining a course toward land, until grounding and eventually stranding," he said.

"Muscle memory from the person in control should have leaned over to that panel and checked whether the screen said autopilot or not," he added.

The inquiry is expected to conclude next year, after which a separate disciplinary process will begin involving three unnamed crew members. Golding told the public that lessons would be learned from the incident, saying, "It is on me, as the Chief of Navy, to earn back your trust."

All 75 people on board the vessel were safely evacuated, but the ship, which was carrying 950 tonnes of diesel, began leaking oil into the sea. Divers have been monitoring the slow leak, and salvage teams are preparing to recover the fuel. So far, no major leaks have been reported, though concerns remain for nearby coastal villages.

This incident marked the first loss of a New Zealand ship since World War Two. The HMNZS Manawanui was one of the nine ships in the country's navy fleet. 

(With inputs from agencies)