New Zealand pays Samoa millions after the crash of the naval ship

The New Zealand government has paid Samoa 10 million Samoan Tala (NZD 6M; £ 2.6 million) after one of its naval ships crashed into a reef in Samoan waters before it ignited and sank last year.

HMNZS MANAWANUI has begun to leak oil into the ocean after sinking, with messages about the sea turtle dying and appearing on the nearby beaches of Samoan.

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the payment had been made at the request of Samoa.

HMNZS MANAWANUI is the first ship New Zealand has lost in the sea since World War II. It was one of the nine ships in the country’s small naval fleet, exploring an area of ​​the seabed that had not been mapped for decades when it was moving.

All 75 people on board were successfully rescued from the ship as they began to list the coast on Samoan Upolu Island just a year ago.

Although they were seen to shrink smoke when it decreased, Samoan officials said later that it was not all its fuel burned and the ship had leaked oil from different places – it caused fears about the local marine wildlife.

After the grounding of the HMNZS MANAWANUI ship remains on the reef, but diesel, oil and other pollutants have been removed from the ship, while the Navy in New Zealand is tasked with removing debris.

Peters said in a statement that the New Zealand government continues to work with Samoa for ship -related decisions and its future.

“We acknowledge the impact that the sinking has had on the local communities and acknowledging the interruption it caused,” he said.

He added that “minimizing the possible environmental impacts and the support of the answer” are “our absolute priorities”.

Every disciplinary production is yet to be determined, but New Zealand’s defense forces reach the end of their investigation, he said.

An The investigation into the incident found that a series of human errors, including failure to refuse the ship’s autopilot, was the main cause of the crash.

In the days after the crash, social media users began to trim the captain of the ship’s wife, claiming that her gender was guilty.

These commentators were sentenced at the time by the Minister of Defense of New Zealand as “Admirals of the Chair”.