Acting Samoan Prime Minister Tuala Tevaga Iosefo Ponifasio said in a press statement Sunday that an oil spill was highly probable. “The HMNZS Manawanui is not recoverable and has sunk into the ocean,” he said. Numerous vessels and aircraft were sent to help, including a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-8A Poseidon and C-130J aircraft, the New Zealand navy said. Rescue teams responded to a call for help from New Zealand navy research ship HMNZS Manawanui. The HMNZS Manawanui was a relatively new addition to the New Zealand navy, having been purchased in 2018 for around $100 million NZD ($61 million), though it was built in the early 2000s.

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Persons: Brian Rose, Judith Collins, “ It’s, It’s, ”, Divers, “ They’ll, Tuala Tevaga Iosefo Ponifasio, Dave Poole, ” Poole, Chris Luxon Organizations: CNN, New, RNZ, RNZ . New Zealand Defense, Newstalk ZB, Emergency Services, Royal New Zealand Air Force, New Zealand, Sunday, Rescue, Emergency Services Authority New Zealand Locations: Samoa, Upolo, New Zealand, Maninoa, RNZ ., Tafitaola, New