A salvage team is scheduled to arrive in Samoa in two weeks to remove the 950 tonnes of diesel from the HMNZS Manawanui's hull.

Residents of the impacted areas fear the fuel would most likely leak out and cause further damage.

The Chairman of the Marine and Pollution Advisory Committee (MPAC), Fui Mau Simanu said the salvage company has been identified to carry out the operation. 

Speaking at the consultation with the district of Safata and Siumu on Thursday, Fui said the salvage operation for the removal of the tanks is likely going to take about 20 days. 

He said there was no salvage team in this field of expertise in New Zealand and this meant they had to look to Asian countries. 

He said once the fuel tanks were removed, the next work would be to salvage the sunken ship which would take a lot longer. 

The villagers had queried how long the salvage operation would take fearing the fuel in the ship would eventually be exposed and pollute the ocean and the environment. 

 New Zealand Defence Force Senior National Representative, Commodore Andrew Brown said daily work was done to stop or slow down leakages from the ship. 

He said the ship is in such a situation that when one leak is blocked “it will slowly trickle from another”. 

Commodore Brown said the leaks were coming from the engine ventilation and when it reached the surface it resulted in a white sheen which evaporated on the surface and broken up by waves and weather. 

 “There are other oil in the ship and from our initial assessment those remain intact in tanks,” he added. 

“We have a full manifesto of all oil tank fuel that we believe is in the ship.” 

The Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), Lealaisalanoa Frances Reupena addressed queries from the villagers about compensation. 

She said they are preparing a paper on this for the government of New Zealand and it focuses on recovery work for the coastal area to ensure it is clean and safe for the community, especially families and tourism businesses that depend on the sea. 

The authorities noted concerns raised by villagers on the environmental impact, issues about contamination of water, the health of the residents and what plans are in place to support the community.