Fiji, Oct. 6 -- The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has marked one year since the sinking of HMNZS Manawanui off the coast of Samoa, reaffirming its commitment to supporting Samoa's recovery efforts and addressing the environmental and operational consequences of the incident.

Captain Rodger Ward, who recently took over from Commodore Andrew Brown as the Manawanui Response Lead, reflected on the events of 06 October 2024, when the vessel ran aground on a reef off Upolu while conducting a survey task and later sank.

"Today marks one year since the sinking of HMNZS Manawanui off the coast of Samoa on 6 October 2024," Ward said.

"The ship ran aground the previous evening on a reef off Upolu while conducting a survey task. In the ensuing ...