New Zealand Compensates Samoa for Naval Ship Disaster

New Zealand's government has paid Samoa 10m Samoan Tala (NZD 6m; £2.6m) after one of its naval ships crashed into a reef in Samoan waters before catching fire and sinking last year.

The HMNZS Manawanui started leaking oil into the ocean after it sunk, with reports of sea turtles dying and slicks appearing on nearby Samoan beaches.

New Zealand's Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, confirmed that the payment had been made at Samoa's request.

The HMNZS Manawanui was the first ship New Zealand lost at sea since World War Two, and it was surveying a previously unmapped area of the sea floor when the disaster struck.

All 75 crew members were evacuated safely as the ship listed off the coast of Upolu island. While the vessel was seen billowing smoke during its descent, not all fuel was combusted, resulting in environmental concerns surrounding local wildlife and pollution.

Since the incident, efforts have been made to rid the stranded ship of pollutants while a New Zealand naval team attended to debris removal.

Peters emphasized the importance of minimizing environmental impact and continuing to collaborate with Samoa in determining future actions regarding the ship. An inquiry suggested that human errors, including autopilot mismanagement, led to the crash.

Amidst the fallout, the ship's female captain received unjust trolling on social media, condemned by New Zealand's defense minister as inappropriate blame-shifting.