WELLINGTON — A Royal New Zealand Navy vessel ran aground and sank off Samoa but all 75 crew and passengers on board were safe, the New Zealand Defense Force said in a statement on Sunday.
Several vessels responded and assisted in rescuing the crew and passengers who had left the ship in lifeboats, Arndell said.
The cause of the grounding was unknown and would need further investigation, New Zealand Defense Force said.
The vessel later capsized and was below the surface by 9 a.m. local time, New Zealand Defense Force said.
New Zealand’s Navy is already working at reduced capacity with three of its nine ships idle due to personnel shortages.
Persons:
Manawanui, Shane Arndell, Arndell, Garin Golding, Judith Collins, Collins
Organizations:
WELLINGTON, New Zealand Navy, New Zealand Defense Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, New Zealand, NZ, Samoa, Australian Defense, Samoa Police, Corrections, Facebook, South West, South West Pacific . New Zealand’s Navy
Locations:
Samoa, Upolu, Auckland, New Zealand, Zealand, South West Pacific .