Fiji, April 4 -- Twelve further factors, in addition to the direct causes, have been identified as contributing to the grounding and sinking of HMNZS Manawanui in Samoa, the final Court of Inquiry report has found.

Royal New Zealand Navy ship HMNZS Manawanui ran aground with 75 people on board in Samoa whilst conducting a hydrographic survey of a reef on Saturday 5 October 2024. The ship sank on Sunday 6 October.

An interim Court of Inquiry, released less than two months following the incident, found the direct causes and some contributing factors of the grounding and sinking related to a series of human errors.

In the final Court of Inquiry report, made public today, the Court found 12 factors that contributed to the grounding and sin...