There could be compensation for villages in the Safata district as Samoa and New Zealand have been in discussions over Manawanui compensation.

The Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry of Works Transport and Infrastructure Fui Tupai Mau Simanu told media in New Zealand that compensation had been requested by the communities affected by the New Zealand Navy ship sinking off the southwest coast of Upolu in October.

He said the impact assessment evaluation conducted by the Marine Pollution Advisory Committee is now complete and the report is being finalised.

There is no word yet on how much compensation is being discussed.

The HMNZS Manawanui struck a reef on 5 October 2024 off the south coast of Upolu and sank early morning on 6 October.

More than 200,000 litres of diesel leaked from the ship causing an environmental disaster leading to a fishing ban in the area. The livelihoods of nine villages has been impacted.

RNZ reported that New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it's unable to comment on compensation issues according to a spokesperson.

"New Zealand's immediate focus is on supporting the Samoan government response," they said.

Simanu said the water quality had improved along the south coast of Upolu since the removal of fuel had started.

The precautionary zone, which put in place a fishing ban in the Safata area had been reduced from 56.7 square kilometres to 28.8 square kilometres.

A press release from Samoa's Ministry of Works said testing of seawater and marine species would continue to determine further actions by the Marine Pollution Advisory Committee.

"In the meantime, the Declaration of Prohibited Area of the Safety Buffer Zone, of 2 kilometre radius surrounding the HMNZS Manawanui wreckage, remains," it said.

"This prohibition means no vessel, persons or aircraft (including drones) are allowed on or above the sea (less than 500ft above sea level), until such a time when fuel extraction operations is complete."

The NZDF's Commodore Andrew Brown said the second cycle of fuel removal for Manawanui is underway.

"It's difficult to put an exact timeline on the fuel removal process. How many cycles occur will depend on external influences such as the weather and sea conditions," Brown said.

"At this stage we can't confirm the amount of fuel removed until it has been processed. The fuel will contain sea water and other contaminants from the extraction process. A large quantity of liquid has been removed."

Brown said the weather had already influenced the removal process, with salvors deciding to end the first fuel removal cycle slightly early ahead of deteriorating weather.