Sea turtle filmed struggling in oil spill near HMNZS Manawanui wreck site

• Video shows a sea turtle struggling in thick oil near the sunken HMNZS Manawanui.
• Nearly 1000 tonnes of diesel were on board the vessel before it sank on Sunday.
• Prime Minister Christopher Luxon pledged to minimise environmental damage and support Samoan authorities.

There are growing fears of a looming environmental disaster in Samoa, as video emerges of a sea turtle struggling to swim in thick, brown oil on the surface of the water near where the $100 million New Zealand Navy vessel sank.

The footage, filmed by Brent Ross of tour company Offshore Adventures, was taken west of where the HMNZS Manawanui grounded, caught fire and sank on Sunday morning.

Ross said he was about 2km west of where the ship went down when he spotted the turtle surrounded by heavy fuel.

“There’s a fair bit of what looks like fuel on the surface here. This is not good.”

The Defence Force said almost 1000 tonnes of diesel were on board the Manawanui before it sank.

The video shows a sea turtle surrounded by brownish oil and debris, including multiple shipping containers, wood and lifejackets.

Ross questioned the urgency of responders, saying that despite signs of oil, there was no one else in the vicinity of where the ship went down.

“No one is in sight. Where is everyone? Where is the salvage team?”

Seventy-five people were rescued from the Manawanui after it grounded on a reef and a court of inquiry has been established to investigate what occurred in the lead-up to the incident.

Most of the rescued crew have returned to New Zealand and will be reunited with family members today.

Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding said New Zealand was doing everything possible to assist Samoan authorities with the unfolding situation.

“The New Zealand response was focused on supporting the Samoan Government to understand possible environmental impacts from the incident and reduce those as much as possible, with teams from across multiple agencies involved,” he said.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon promised to do “everything it takes” to try to minimise the environmental damage from the sinking.

Luxon said he had spoken with Samoa’s Acting Prime Minister, Tuala Tevaga Iosefo Ponifasio.

“Our focus now moves to making sure we can mitigate and minimise any environmental impacts,” Luxon said.

“They welcomed any and all support we can offer, and that’s what we plan to do. We’re going to do everything it takes to make sure we do the best we can to minimise the environmental impacts.”

Michael Morrah is a senior investigative reporter/team leader at the Herald. He won the best coverage of a major news event at the 2024 Voyager NZ Media Awards and has twice been named reporter of the year. He has been a broadcast journalist for 20 years and joined the Herald’s video team in July 2024.