Tuesday, 8 October 2024 – The Samoa Police, Prisons & Corrections Services (SPPCS) worked in close collaboration with key government agencies to manage an oil spillage incident that occurred off the coast of Tafitoala over the weekend.
The spillage was caused by an unfortunate incident where New Zealand Navy vessel, HMNZS Manawanui ran aground on the reef two kilometers from shore in the south west coast of Upolu.
The specialist dive and hydrographic vessel caught fire and sank to the bottom of the ocean on Sunday morning while all 75 on board were rescued by Samoa’s first response agencies (SPPCS, FESA, NEOC and the Nafanua).
Together with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Samoa (MNRE), Samoa Ports Authority (SPA), and the Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure Samoa (MWTI), the SPPCS mobilized efforts to contain the spillage and mitigate its environmental impact.
This coordinated response highlights the collective commitment of the agencies to safeguard Samoa’s natural resources and ensure the safety and security of the nation’s coastal areas.
The SPPCS acknowledges the strong collaboration and professionalism demonstrated by MNRE, SPA, and MWTI during this critical operation. Such joint efforts are a testament to the shared dedication to protecting Samoa’s environment and ensuring public safety.
Nearly 1000 tonnes of diesel fuel was on board HMNZS Manawanui when it sank, the Chief of Navy says.
Rear admiral Garin Golding has told NZ media told RNZ Morning Report there were different types of fuel on board the ship, the largest being 950 tonnes of automotive gas oil.
“It is a diesel fuel … a light oil of commercial diesel quantities.”
Quick action key to containing damage – scientist
RNZ Pacific reports that a coastal science expert says there will be many variables to determine just how damaging the sinking will be to Samoa’s marine environment.
Brent Ross runs Offshore Adventures, a surf adventure company on Upolu’s south coast, and his backyard now has an unwanted landmark.
“It was quite bad. Yeah, it was sad to see,” he said.
He told RNZ Pacific that he could see debris from an opened shipping container and “a lot” of fuel oil. He was concerned not just for his livelihood, but for local fishermen, and Samoa’s entire marine environment.
“Seeing how much fuel was out close to the wreck, it’s got to go somewhere. I imagine that’s going to end up on the beaches. The local fishermen, Samoa is very much still subsistence lifestyle for a lot of people. You know, they go fishing at night to feed their families. I worry about them,” he said.
There is still a mountain of contingencies to determine just how damaging the Manawanui’s sinking could be.
These include whether the sea floor is rock or sand; how deep the water was; the weather conditions; how much of the reef the ship scraped past; exactly what chemicals were onboard; what state the hull was in; and how clean it was.
Coastal science Professor Chris Battershill, who helped lead the Rena cleanup and recovery, said while there were many unknowns, the quicker agencies acted, the better.
“Unlike some of the other experiences internationally, where ships have wiggled their way across an entire shoaling platform of coral, here it’s been a relatively short, from what we understand, transition from the reef and then down into deeper water,” he said.
“So once there, of course, with the oil coming to the surface that then presents a problem of slicks coming ashore if there’s an onshore wind. Ordinarily if it ends up on a beach that can be taken away, along with contaminated sand. The only consideration that does cause concern is if at low tide there’s an area of shallow-water reef that’s exposed with an onshore wind, then the slick will engage with that part of the reef and will do some damage.”
The Defence Force said the Manawanui carried several marine-standard chemicals onboard like cleaning products and emission control (marine urea solution), and that there were no hazardous chemicals onboard “beyond those that would be carried by most commercial ships.”
It also said the Manawanui was fuelled with Automotive Gas Oil, a light oil commerical diesel commonly used by commercial and military vessels.
Battershill said the lighter oil can evaporate off its more toxic short-chain hydrocarbons relatively quickly compared to heavy oil.
“So if they evaporate off, that leaves larger-chain hydrocarbons on the slick, which are relatively less toxic. And the environment, just depending on how much was released over how long a period, can tolerate that to some extent,” he said.
“If a slick arrives onshore, there’ll be an area of immediate inundation and smothering and contamination. But what we learned from the Rena is if that load can be taken away from the system, as was done in the Rena event by a very large volunteer army, then the environment has a chance to recover. We saw recovery of kaimoana along the beaches in the Rena situation within about three to four months.”
