A marine and coastal expert has raised concerns that the paint on the HMNZS Manawanui may cause damage to the surrounding reef.
Seventy-five personnel were rescued from the ship at the weekend after it ran aground on a reef off Samoa’s Upolu and sank shortly after. Around 100 Navy staff headed to Samoa yesterday as the effort to begin the cleanup began.
The Defence Force has since salvaged a Blackbox, hoping it may hold answers on why the ship ran aground.
But the biggest concerns were around how the ship’s sinking might affect the environment. The Manawanui had around 1000 tonnes of diesel on board.
Reports of an oil slick surrounding the area were said to be distressing locals. A naval dive team said it was residual fuel rather than a leak from a diesel tank.
Speaking to Breakfast this morning, Chris Battershill, an professor in coastal and marine science at the University of Waikato, said divers would likely have no issue removing the fuel from the ship.
He said salvage divers were “very clever” and the ship’s resting depth at around 30m was a “very good thing”.
However, his concern was that the paint on its hull may have traces of toxic material.
Battershill explained that larger ships were coated in anti-fouling paint to prevent barnacles and invasive species from attaching to the hull.
“In the past, the paint was quite toxic, it had tin in it, it was called Tributyltin tin, or TBT,” he said.
The paint was now banned, and most vessels were painted with safer, non-toxic anti-fouling. However, some ships still had layers of TBT under the new paint.
Battershill cited the 2011 sinking of the Rena, which grounded on the Astrolabe Reef in the Bay of Plenty while approaching Tauranga Harbour, as an example. The ship was painted with safer material but still had a layer of TBT underneath.
When the ship collided with the reef, Battershill said the paint “came off and engaged with the environment”.
For the Manawanui, Battershill said “some look at what paint might be infused with the coral” was needed.
1News has sought comment from the Defence Force on what paint may be on the Manawanui.