The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) has announced details of its Court of Inquiry (COI) into the sinking of HMNZS Manawanui in Samoa earlier this month.
The Royal New Zealand Navy dive and hydrographic ship struck a reef south of Upolu on Saturday, October 5. All 75 people on board were successfully rescued.
Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding has directed the assembly of a COI into the sinking of Manawanui and has appointed Commodore Melissa Ross as the president. The COI will assemble on Friday, October 11.
COIs are set up to establish the facts of an incident and any circumstances leading to it to allow the NZDF to identify possible improvements or changes for the future.
The terms of reference direct the COI to collect and record evidence and report on the sequence of events leading up to the loss of the ship, the cause of the grounding and subsequent sinking, and details on notification procedures, injuries sustained, and any environmental damage.
The COI has also been directed to consider any organisational aspects relevant to the loss, and the material state of Manawanui prior to the grounding.
Courts of Inquiry into significant matters may be subject to an external legal review to provide independent assurance of their procedure and conclusions. External legal reviews are conducted by independent King’s Counsel or other senior barristers. For the COI into the sinking of HMNZS Manawanui, it has been determined that an external legal review will be conducted by a King’s Counsel.
“Given the high level of public interest in this and with transparency at front of mind, I will make the report publicly available to the maximum extent possible consistent with the Privacy Act and my obligations to uphold national security,” Rear Admiral Golding said.
“I have directed the Court to provide me with an interim report on specific areas by mid-November, and then to provide regular updates on the progress of their inquiry from there.”