‘Obsolete systems’ part of $35m reboot to fill in for sunk navy ship

The HMNZS Otago has been parked at Devonport Naval base since 2022. Photo / RNZ, Ian Telfer

By Phil Pennington of RNZ

After sinking the $100 million HMNZS Manawanui survey ship off Samoa 11 months ago, the Navy is spending $35m to start up a ship not used for three years.

The HMNZS Otago has been parked up at Devonport Naval base since 2022, when the navy ran too short of personnel to run it.

The Defence Force says getting the offshore patrol vessel going again will take till the middle of next year, followed by tests, before it can go back into service.

“The reactivation involves significant engineering work to replace obsolete systems and restore operational readiness,” it told RNZ.

That included overhauling the engines and putting in a new water ballast treatment system.

The costs are being paid out of baseline funding.

“New funding was not requested from the Government.”

It must achieve what is called “Operational Class Certification” through the Lloyd’s Register before it can sail again.

The Manawanui was listed as a $77m write-off in the last Budget, on top of $32m spent on clean-up and salvage, though the wreck itself remains underwater on a reef off the Samoan island of Upolu, to the discontent of some local villagers.

Its sinking was put down to a catalogue of failures by the Navy, including undertraining, and not understanding how the ship operated.

Despite the $35m injection, the Otago will not be able to take on the Manawanui’s specialist dive and hydrographic tasks.

It will instead do fishery patrols, border protection work, and research and supply, and provide a “presence” in the Pacific.

“This reactivation is part of our broader effort to increase fleet availability and responsiveness, while we assess long-term capability needs through the maritime fleet renewal programme,” the NZDF said.

It decided early on after the sinking not to replace Manawanui.

The first four years of the fleet renewal, through to 2029, would revolve around acquiring maritime drones, not ships, to give a chance for emerging tech to trigger “transformational change for the Navy”, the Defence Capability Plan released in April said.

Dive and hydrographic surveys would be undertaken by “other platforms”, it said.