CHARGES have been laid in the Court Martial of New Zealand in relation to the loss of Royal New Zealand Navy vessel HMNZS Manawanui, off the coast of Samoa in October 2024.
The dive support/oceanographic survey ship sank on 6 October 2024 after it ran aground the previous day on a reef off the island of Upolu during survey work, before catching fire and capsizing. All 75 passengers and crew were rescued but the wreck remains in place.
A comprehensive Court of Inquiry into the causes of the incident last year attributed the grounding and loss to the failure by inadequately-trained crew to disengage the autpilot, amongst other issues.
Three naval officers have been charged with offences under the Armed Forces Discipline Act 1971.
The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) said no further information, including names of the accused, will be provided before the commencement of the Court Martial proceedings. The date and location of a trial in the Court Martial are yet to be set.
“As these legal proceedings are underway, the New Zealand Defence Force will not be providing further comment before proceedings commence,” it said.
New Zealand media has named those charged as Manawanui’s Commander Yvonne Gray, Lieutenant Commander Matthew Gajzago and Lieutenant Thomas Beamish.
Based on charging documents the NZ Herald said the allegations include that Lt. Beamish, the officer of the watch at the time, was guilty of “negligently causing a ship to be lost”.
The charge sheet alleges Lt. Beamish turned Manawanui towards a reef that lay about half a nautical mile ahead, at about 6.13pm local time, while travelling at more than four knots. He is also accused of failing to disengage autopilot and take manual control in time to prevent the grounding.
Lt Cdr Gajzago, who was the command supervisor on the bridge, has been charged with “negligently permitting a ship to be lost”. It is alleged he failed to properly supervise Lt. Beamish and ensure the ship avoided the reef.
Cdr Gray faces two alternate charges relating to the moment the ship approached the hazard. One alleges she negligently permitted the ship to be lost, by being absent from the bridge while within a nautical mile of a known reef. The alternate charge, which could be pursued instead, alleges she failed to attend her place of duty on the bridge in those circumstances.
Cdr Gray also faces a separate charge alleging she failed to ensure an appropriate plan was in place to manage the risks of conducting hydrographic survey work in uncharted waters close to reefs south of Upolu.
In the annual NZ budget in late May 2025 it was revealed that Manawanui is a NZ$77 million complete total loss. The budget papers also showed $32 million had been allocated in 2024-25, for the clean-up, salvage, and other remedial activities at the shipwreck. The vessel, which was acquired from the private sector in 2019 and modified for NZDF service, was insured for salvage operations but not for replacement. It is not being replaced.
Early last week a fuel sheen was reported off the south coast of Upolu. However, NZDF personnel and divers from Samoa found no evidence of a leak or sheen, and water samples were taken for analysis.