HMNZS Manawanui

HMNZS Manawanui was a dive and hydrographic vessel of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN). It had previously served as the civilian survey vessel MV Edda Fonn in the Norwegian oil and gas industry. The ship was purchased for the RNZN in 2018, and commissioned on 7 June 2019, replacing the hydrographic survey ship HMNZS Resolution and diving support vessel HMNZS Manawanui (A09). Manawanui entered operational service in early 2020 and undertook multiple deployments in the Pacific over subsequent years, participating in RIMPAC 2020 and supporting operations in the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023. Manawanui sank on 6 October 2024 after running aground while surveying a reef off the coast of Samoa. All 75 people on board Manawanui were rescued. In late November 2024, the first report from the naval inquiry into the Manawanui's sinking attributed the sinking to human error. In early April 2025, the naval inquiry's final report concluded that the sinking was the result of human error. Following a disciplinary investigation, charges were laid against three naval officers, including her former captain, in February 2026.