Faafetai tele i lo outou auai mai i lenei itula. Manatu ua mae’a tapua’iga masani sa feagai ai ma tatou i lenei Sapati o lo’o fa’apea ona tatou fa’amamalu pea iai ona o lona taua i si o tatou atunu’u.
O lea ua utu le malama i le tula o mauga o lenei aso fou…ma lenei taeao manuia i le alofa tausi mai o lo tatou Atua…
Ua ou manatu o le a fata ia i mauga o ao ma mapu ane i tuloto ou sa ma ou mamalu Samoa…..aua o mamalu ua taoto, a felaga’i! ona faigata lea.
Ae ou te talitonu ua le o toe po se lilo i tala ave foi i luga o auala televavave i le fa’alavelave na tula’i mai i le po anapo, na pa’ulia ai se va’a o le fuava’a o le Vaega au a le Navy, a le Malo a Niu Sila i le aau i tua atu o le gataifale o afio’aga o Siumu.
O galuega fa’atino lava o le tapenaga o le tatou talimalo i atunu’u o le Taupulega lea ua le toe mamao.
Ua fa’amautinoa mai e toa 75 le auva’a i le taimi na tupu ai le fa’alavelave atoa ai ma tagatanu’u e le o ni tagata militeri o ni tagata su’esu’e fa’asaienisi e toafitu, ae to’afa isi tagata militeri mai is atunu’u.
I le taimi nei e le’i mautinoa ma manino mai le mafua’aga o le fa’alavelave po’o le mafuaga fo’i na oso ai le va’a i luga o le ‘a’au. Masalo o se taimi ona tu’uina mai lea o se ripoti aloa’ia o lea tulaga pe a mae’a su’esu’ega.
O le mea ua mautinoa o lo’o saogalemu uma le auva’a, e ui ina sou, pogisa ma matagi le sami i le itula na tula’i mai ai le fa’alavelave. O se tala e fa’apea o le vave o le mafaufau o le Kapeteni na ia faia a se fa’ai’uga ma fa’atonuina uma ai loa le auva’a e tu’ua loa le va’a ae lei sa’e ma ona tulai mai ai nisi a’afiaga faigata, lea ua mafai ai ona lavea’ia uma lana auva’a.
O le tulaga lavea’i o le auva’a sa fa’apea ona vave atu iai auanaga fa’apitoa o le saogalemu ma le lavea’i a le tatou malo, le Matagaluega o Leoleo ma le Pulega o Tineimu ma Fa’alavelave Tutupu Fa’afuase’i. Sa fa’apea ona auai atu ma le tatou Va’a o le Nafanua mo se fesoasoani.
Sa maua le matou feiloa’iga ma le auva’a a Niu Sila ananei i le taeao fa’apea fo’i ona maua ai nisi o fa’amatalaga o lenei fa’alavelave i se fa’amalamalama’aga a le tamaita’i Kapeteni (Ship Commander).
Sa fa’ao’o mai foi le fa’afetai a le auv’aa ma le Kapeteni o le Va’a, i tulaga lavea’i e pei ona auai atu le tatou Malo i lona fa’atinoga ina ua tula’i mai le fa’alavelave i le vaeluaga o le po anapo. O le vaega na muamua taunu’u i le matafaga po’o le saogalemu lea, e tusa lea ma le itula e tasi i le vaveao ananei ile taeao.
Ma ou te fia faa’oo atu foi lenei fa’amalo i le Komisina o Leoleo, ma le Komisina o Tineimu ma Lavea’i Fa’afuasei, le Kapeteni o le Nafanua ma i latou uma sa fa’atinoina lenei galuega lavea’i mo le auva’a e 75 a Niu Sila.
O le leai o se soifua ua ma’imau, o le va’aiga lea o le tou lava tapena i le tatou taligamalo, ma le maualuga o le tulaga o lo outou tomai ua iai nei la outou auaunaga i le tatou atunuu. Fa’amalo le galulue.
O le tulaga sa iai, e faapea, i le te’a o le itula e ono i le taeao nei, na amata ai loa ona va’aia le asu, ua mu le va’a ma aga’i ai loa ina goto. I le ta ai o le 9 i le taeao nei, na iloa ai ua i lalo uma le tino atoa o le vaa i le sami ma ua le toe iloa atu.
O loo galulue pea le tatou vaega o fa’’alavelave faafuasei e i ai leoleo, le matagaluega o le si’osi’omaga, le pulega o va’a a Samoa, ma le ofisa o Tineimu e mata’itu pea se tula’i mai o se masa’a o se suau’u i luga o le sami e ono a’afia ai le ‘a’au, figota ma i’a ma mea uma o lo’o ola i luga o le gataifale ne’i fa’atama’iaina pe a tula’i mai lea tulaga o le suauu masa’a.
Sa maua fo’i le ma talanoaga ma le Ali’i Palemia o Niu Sila i le itula 12 analeila, le afioga ia John Luxon, ma sa momoli mai lana fa’afetai i le tatou malo mo galuega lavea’i ma fesoasoani na faia mo le auva’a. Na maua e le’i faigofie le galuega lavea’i e pei ona iai, ona o le louloua o le tau i le taimi o le fa’alavelave, aemaise o le pogisa.
O lo’o sauni mai fo’i le Malo o Niu Sila i sa latou fesoasoani ua le gata i le auva’a ae o su’esu’ega ma se fa’ai’uga o le a faia i le va’a. O le aoauli nei la, o le a tu’ua ai e le va’alele fa’apitoa, o se va’alele militeri ua ta’ua o le C130 Niu Sila mo Samoa, e aumai ai ni tagata fa’apitoa tomai ma nisi o meafaigaluega fa’apitoa mo le galuega ma ni su’esu’ega o lo’o fia faia i lenei fa’alavelave. O le a ave le latou fa’amuamua i le puipuiga o le si’osi’omaga ia aua nei i ai ni a’afiaga o le tatou gataifale ma le si’osi’omaga fa’alenatura.
I le taimi nei o lo’o galulue le tatou pulega o le NEOC po’o le ofisa o fa’alavelave fa’afuasei fa’atasi ai ma le malo o Niu Sila i feso’ot’aiga ma vaega eseese uma e tatau ai i taimi oni fa’alavelave fa’apenei.
Ia, o le uiga lava o lenei fa’asalalauga ina ia nofo silafia e le malalu o le atunu’u ia mea o lo’o tutupu mai, aemaise o lenei taimi a’o tatou sauni atu mo le tatou taligamalo, i le fonotaga a ta’ita’i o malo o le taupulega a le lalolagi, Samoa CHOGM 2024.
Talosia ia, ia tomua mala, ae ia sao ma uli lo tatou fa’amoemoe i le alofa ma le agalelei o le Atua.
Faafetai.
MEET THE PRESS- 6th October 2024.
Acting Prime Minister Tuala Tevaga Iosefo Ponifasio on the latest development pertaining to the New Zealand Navy vessel HMNZS Manawanui which ran aground on the South West Coast of Upolu Island.
At 6.58pm Saturday evening 5 October 2024, Samoa Police, Prisons and Correction Services (‘SPPCS’) received a call from the Rescue Coordination Centre in Wellington New Zealand regarding a distress vessel which is now confirmed to be New Zealand Navy vessel HMNZS Manawanui run aground on the South West Coast of Upolu Island.
SPPCS Maritime Wing on duty team were alerted and dispatched small boats to the Southern Side of Upolu as the Nafanua III crew were recalled to assist with the rescue operation. Samoa Fire and Emergency Service Authority (‘SFESA’) was also alerted and responded alongside Police Maritime Teams. The Disaster Management Office were also alerted and were on standby to assist when needed.
At 7.19pm another call was received from Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand that the crew of the distress vessel will be abandoning the ship unto life rafts due to the deteriorating situation with HMNZS Manawanui taking in too much water and was sinking. At the same time first responders from both SPPCS and SFESA were deployed to rescue the HMNZS Manawanui crew.
At 9.00pm the Nafanua III departed Matautu-wharf to assist with the rescue operation.
At 5.00am Sunday morning 6 October 2024, SPPCS Commander who led the rescue coordination informed HQ that all 75 members of the crew were rescued with some receiving only minor medical assistance with no casualties.
Nafanua III rescued 18 crew, 11 were rescued by LadbrogCable Vessel, 10 rescued by Ark Marine Company Ltd Vessel and 36 were rescued by SPPCS with assistance of SFESA small boats. All 75 crew members were transported to the New Zealand High Commission residence for welfare purposes.
The HMNZS Manawanui is not recoverable and has sunk into the ocean. The possibility of an oil spill is high probable. NEOC led by MNRE is now conducting an environmental impact assessment on the marine ecosystem and surrounding areas.
Earlier today I visited the crew to give moral support and assured them of their comfort and any other assistance the Samoa Government can provide.
I also spoke with the Rt Hon Prime Minister of NZ, Mr. Luxon, who expressed gratitude to Samoa for its efforts to rescue the crew, especially in difficult conditions and during darkness. Prime Minister Luxon has also offered to provide assistance as required to assist the Samoan government.
I would also like to commend our Commissioner of Police and Commissioner of Fire, Emergency, and Rescue Services for their great efforts to rescue the crew of Manawanui. A word must also go out to the ship’s commander for her call to abandon ship and to the crew for their courage and bravery during this difficult situation.
More information will be made available once reports are received from frontline response agencies.
Soifua ma ia Manuia.
