<\/p>\n
\nUAS footage of RNZN Divers surveying the area around HMNZS Manawanui on the Southern Coast of Upulo as part of Op Resolution. 25 October 2024
\nPhoto: New Zealand Defence Force\n<\/p>\n
Charges have been laid in relation to the loss of Royal New Zealand Navy vessel HMNZS Manawanui, off the coast of Samoa in October 2024.<\/p>\n
Three naval officers face a court martial.<\/p>\n
The vessel sank off the coast of Samoa after hitting a reef, spilling hundreds of thousands of litres of diesel and oil into the ocean.<\/p>\n
One officer faces a charge of negligently causing a ship to be lost and a second faces a charge of negligently permitting a ship to be lost.<\/p>\n
If found guilty, negligently causing a ship to be lost carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\nThe HMNZS Manawanui, aground in Samoa.
\nPhoto: Profile Boats \/ supplied\n<\/p>\n
A third officer faces a charge of negligently permitting a ship to be lost, or in the alternative, negligently failing to perform a duty. In addition, the third officer faces a charge of negligently failing to perform a duty.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the defence force said the date and location of the court martial were yet to be set.<\/p>\n