Samoa warns of ‘highly probable’ oil spill from New Zealand navy ship that sank and caught fire

Associated Press

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — An oil spill from a grounded New Zealand navy ship which sank and caught fire off the coast of Samoa is “highly probable”, Samoa’s acting Prime Minister said late Sunday. Officials in the Pacific island nation are conducting an environmental impact assessment in the area where the ship sank on Sunday morning. All 75 people on board the HMNZS Manawanui were taken to safety on life rafts. New Zealand will hold a court of inquiry into the loss of the ship, which was one of nine in its navy. The cause of the disaster is not known.