Acting Samoan Prime Minister, Tuala Iosefo Ponifasio, says there is no evidence of oil spillage in the area where the New Zealand naval ship HMNZS Manawanui sank except for small leakages coming from the sunken vessel.
In a statement released by the Acting PM’s office Tuesday, he referred to the confirmation report from Captain Dowling, Commander of Operations and Chairman of the Samoa Marine Pollution Advisory Committee, Fui Mau Simanu on the current situation related to HMNZ Manawanui.
“According to the report, there is no evidence of oil spillage onto the reefs, ashore and around the area, as of 1030hrs this morning, except for small leakages of oil coming from the vessel,” said Tuala.
“This has been contained using specialised equipment being deployed onsite.
“A combined full force and priority has been given to this incident and a team of divers and marine experts have been deployed out to the site of the vessel.”
A full assessment of the situation is expected sometime this afternoon. In the meantime, marine scientists are carrying out sample testing of the nearby waters and beaches for any traces of oil.
The public has been asked for their support and assistance in returning to the authorities any property or belongings that are believed to be from this incident and reporting any sightings of oil or other concerns.
The latest statement from the government contradicts reports from affected villagers that claim to have sighted oil spills and a lot of fuel at sea.
As of Tuesday, the coast of Tafitoala village surrounding the wreckage of New Zealand Navy Ship HMNZS Manawanui is declared a prohibited area as the Oil Spill Response operations are underway.
James Atherton of Samoa Conservation Society said their rapid assessment of the Safata coast on Monday found limited signs of oil pollution or debris on the nearby shore.
He added a more thorough survey with drones is needed to be certain.
“While we were informed that oil had washed up on the shore to the west of the sinking site at Sataoa on Sunday, it had washed away today when we visited Sataoa,” said Atherton.
“We were also informed that some turtles were found dead at the reef at Sataoa, possibly due to an oil spill, but this needs to be investigated.
“There should be an aerial survey of the reefs and ocean around the sunk vessel and westwards along the Tafitoala peninsula and westwards towards Sataoa using drones and boats to see if there is debris or even an oil spill.
Divers assess sunken ship
Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) divers were on the water at first light Tuesday to assess the wreckage of the ship.
“The dive team has begun assessing the area where HMNZS Manawanui sank to better understand the environmental impacts and clean-up efforts required in Samoa,” Commodore Arndell said.
A number of government agencies are involved in supporting the Samoan Government’s response to the incident, Experts from Maritime New Zealand and other agencies are also assisting with understanding the environmental impacts and initiating clean-up actions. Wildlife experts from Massey University have been assisting with the response and the New Zealand Defence Force, which has 28 personnel in Samoa, is working closely with the Samoan Government.
A range of equipment was sent to Samoa with New Zealand Defence Force personnel (NZDF) to assist with the initial response and help address environmental impacts to the area.
Equipment includes remotely operated vehicles used to establish the debris field, and also Maritime NZ spill response equipment, which can be used both in the water and on the land.
“Our personnel have begun clearing flotsam from the beach area and environmental assessments and clean up activities are under way.”
“A light oil sheen from the ship’s initial capsizing is being dispersed by wind and waves,” Commodore Arndell said.
Maritime NZ responders are working closely with Samoan authorities, and NZDF personnel on the ground, to develop plans around how to support the environmental response.
The Royal Navy’s HMS Tamar is helping provide security and logistical support in the immediate area.
“As more information is gathered from the responders on the ground, NZDF will bring further equipment from New Zealand to support the response,’’ Commodore Arndell said.
Marine ecosystem ‘threatened’
Meanwhile, Deep Dive Division founder Pauli Tua Karalus has carried out scientific research in the area, and said the accident puts the vibrant coral ecosystem at serious risk.
“Those pristine waters will be affected now, I’d hate to say how long for, if that boat has gone to depths that are unrecoverable,” he said.
“Looking at the seabed close to where they were, it dropped off really quickly … I don’t know too much about where the position of the boat is currently, but it looks like it’s going to be difficult to be salvaged.”
Pauli has links to Salelologa, Savai’i on his mother’s side, and said the event had an immediate impact, especially for villages in close proximity.
“That area of Sāmoa is quite isolated, it’s poor, they depend on the ocean to sustain them, and we’re getting messages back that they can smell the fuel and the oil, and you really feel for the people.”
On Tuesday, a dive team assessed the condition of the wreck, thought to be at a depth of 35-150 metres.
Pauli worked on the salvage operation of the MV Rena in Tauranga and said clean up costs will increase with depth.
“If it’s greater than 50 metres you’ll need a saturation team, use of ROV [remote operated vehicle] robots and things to come down, use of the divers to syphon oil out, similar to what was done with the Rena, but that stayed on the reef for a lot longer, so a lot of oil was able to be pumped out.”
University of Waikato professor of coastal science Chris Battershill said the wreck will impact fish who live on the reef, and beyond.
“The more pelagic ones, like tuna and kingfish … they will sense oil in the water column and avoid those areas more than likely.
“It’s the reef-associated fishes that people will be concerned about. So, these are the coral trout, parrot fishes, things that have their homes in and around the coral reefs, they will no doubt be coming into contact with some of the oils that tend to diffuse through the water column.”
It is the start of the biannual palolo worm season, the “caviar of the Pacific”, which are caught with nets along the coastline. But Battershill expected the government of Sāmoa to impose a rahui, or moratorium on the area.
“When a ship like that hits a coral reef, it will be grinding its hull along the coral reef,” said Battershill. “So, there would be a bit of a scar running across the top of the reef where it hit and then down the side of it.”
The paint on a ship’s hull can be toxic, and Battershill said this would need to be salvaged if it has mixed with the coral rubble, along with the most pressing issue of the 950 tonnes of oil onboard.
“With any sunken vessel, it will be leaking fuel oil, whatever type that is, probably diesel and various hydraulic fluids.
“It depends just how intact the vessel is, whether the leak is a major one or whether there’s just gonna be dribbles of those materials coming out of it.”
Battershill said the oils on board will be moving straight up to the surface and forming a slick, where natural elements can kick in to disperse some of the fuel.
“Wave action can evaporate off the more toxic parts of the hydrocarbons in those fuel mixes quite quickly, so by the time any slick reaches the shore, it looks horrible, but it will have lost a lot of the more toxic elements of it.
“And if it gets washed ashore, you can remove it, take it inland, put it into a secure dump site, you can get it out of the system so it’s not constantly re-engaging when the tide goes down.”
Battershill had completed research dives in Sāmoa, and also worked on the Rena oil spill and similar ship groundings on the Great Barrier reef. The Rena grounding in 2011 is the world’s second-most expensive salvage operation, with New Zealand government response efforts totalling $27 million and the rest of the bill paid by the ship’s owners in Greece.