HMNZS Manawanui was the first ship New Zealand lost since World War II [Samoan Government]
A New Zealand cruise ship that ran aground on a coral reef before catching fire and sinking was left on autopilot, an inquest has found.
The crew of HMNZS Manawanui thought the vessel was under manual control while sailing in Samoan waters.
All 75 people on board were safely evacuated. But the sunken ship started leaking oil into the sea, which caused panic in the villages near the coast.
HMNZS Manawanui was the first ship New Zealand lost since World War II. It was one of the nine ships in the small fleet of the country’s navy.
The first report from the investigation into the incident was released on Friday. It found that the ship’s crew had believed that there were problems with the ship’s lift when they were unable to change the ship’s course.
But none of the crew had bothered to check that the ship was still on autopilot, before it crashed.
Navy chief Garin Golding told reporters that “the direct cause of the downing was determined to be human error”.
“Muscle memory from the person in control should have leaned on that panel and checked if the screen said autopilot or not.”
The review is expected to be completed next year. Mr Golding said that following the conclusion of the investigation, officials would initiate further action against the three unnamed individuals.
“I want to assure the public of New Zealand that we will learn from this situation and that it is up to me, as the Chief of the Navy, to restore your confidence,” he said.
He added that various people were looking to “refuse to delay the exit”.
While equipment will be sent to Samoa this week to remove oil and other pollutants from the ship, New Zealand authorities have not announced plans to remove the ship.
The vessel was conducting a water survey off the island of Upolu when it struck a rock and caught fire during bad and windy weather. Then it sank.
In the days that followed, social media users started trolling the female captain of the ship, claiming that her husband was responsible.
These speakers were criticized by the New Zealand defense minister as “armchair admirals”.