While reports of oil leaking from the capsized Manawanui may be unfounded, that doesn’t mean the wreckage won’t cause lasting damage, writes Stewart Sowman-Lund in today’s extract from The Bulletin.
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Fuel, oil or something else?
Immediately following the sinking of HMNZS Manawanui over the weekend, attention was on ensuring all 75 people onboard were safe. The crew and passengers of the ill-fated vessel arrived back in New Zealand late on Monday night, with a full inquiry to determine what exactly went wrong. But with no lives lost, all eyes are now on the emerging ecological disaster unfolding off the coast of Samoa.
The Samoa Observer reported yesterday that oil can be seen floating on the top of the water above the wreckage, with rubbish and other debris “threatening marine life, food sources and tourism in the area”. Despite these reports, the Samoa government says there have been no confirmed oil leaks yet, though the presence of the wreckage would still pose a serious threat to marine life. Speaking to RNZ’s Checkpoint last night, Navy commodore Shane Arndell explained that while the Manawanui was resting 30 metres underwater on a reef, it was not leaking. “The divers went out… to survey the ship … and from what they’ve reported there has been nothing leaking from the ship once it sunk,” he said. A lot of liquid leaked from the ship as it was sinking, said Arndell, but that had now stabilised.
The challenge ahead
The capsizing happened over the weekend – Stuff has a full timeline of the events here – but the clean up remains an evolving situation. Whether oil is leaking now or not, speed remains of the essence, wrote Waikato University’s Christopher Battershill for The Conversation. “There’s only a narrow window of time to seal any fuel leaks – and, ideally, pipe out more than 900 tonnes of marine diesel the ship carries,” he said.
But it’s not just the fuel. Crushed coral and contaminated sediment around the wreckage needs to be cleared in case it has come into contact with the ship’s “anti-fouling” paint, which can be toxic. As RNZ reported, the Manawanui carried several “marine-standard chemicals” onboard, though they claim there were no hazardous chemicals “beyond those that would be carried by most commercial ships.” The Herald has reported that sea turtles have been found dead on the shoreline near the wreckage, prompting concern about further ecological damage being done beneath the surface.
Echoes of the Rena
The first point of reference for many people when they hear of a sunken ship ands the threat of an oil spill is likely the Rena, which struck a reef off the Tauranga coast in 2011. This Stuff feature to mark the 10th anniversary of the disaster described it as our biggest maritime disaster. Oil leaks caused “blackened beaches”, while the reef was littered with debris “including smashed containers”.
The good news, argued Waikato University’s Nick Ling in comments via the Science Media Centre, is that the fuel onboard the Manawanui is lighter and potentially less damaging than the crude oil that leaked out of the Rena. “Much of that light fuel material will quickly evaporate or disperse, so although it is toxic and will potentially affect the immediate reef environment, any damage is likely to be quite localized,” said Ling.
What happens next?
A full court of inquiry has been established to determine what may have caused the Manawanui to capsize. The Post’s Amelia Wade reported that the final details of this could, however, be kept secret – though Act Party leader David Seymour has urged for transparency. “I think the critical thing we need to find out is what this means for our defence capability, and New Zealanders deserve to know whether this disaster was the result of underinvestment,” Seymour said.
Speaking to Newstalk ZB yesterday morning, rear admiral Garin Golding said speculation on the cause was unhelpful, though defence minister Judith Collins has confirmed the ship lost power. Whether or not the wreckage can be recovered remains to be seen, though locals want swift action regardless. “Even if the immediate risk didn’t seem to be such a serious problem, it does not mean that risk is gone, because there is going to be quite a lot of oil in that boat to think about,” Samoa Conservation Society president James Atherton told RNZ’s Checkpoint.