Defence Minister Judith Collins has labelled sexist criticism of the female commander of a doomed Navy ship which sunk off the Samoan coast as “deeply misogynistic”.

Speaking about the abuse faced by Commanding Officer Commander Yvonne Gray, Collins says New Zealanders should “be better”.

She delivered a broadside at the “deeply concerning, mysoginistic narrative” directed at Gray.

Collins took aim at what she called “armchair admirals” who were criticising the captain, one of whom was a truck driver from Melbourne, she said. She urged the man to stick to his area of expertise.

“The one thing we know did not cause [the sinking] was the gender of the ship’s captain. I’m appalled to hear our women in uniform are being abused in the street because of this incident.”

Collins said women in uniform had been abused on the streets in the aftermath of the disaster. She said she was shocked and appalled by the vile comments that had been posted online about the commander.

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The Navy’s top officer is giving a press conference alongside Collins after conflicting reports on whether the sunken HMNZS Manawanui is leaking oil into the ocean off the south coast of the Samoan island of Upolu. 

Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Garin Golding is set to begin a press conference in Auckland at 2pm following the loss of diving and hydrographic vessel Manawanui, after it lost power and hit a reef on Saturday night before catching fire and sinking early on Sunday. 

On Thursday morning, Deputy Chief of Navy Commodore Andrew Brown told RNZ’s Morning Report the latest update he had received was that the oil was contained. 

Defence Minister Judith Collins and Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral Garin Golding talk to meida in central Auckland about the wreck of HMNZS Manawanwui that sank off the coast of Samoa on Sunday. Photo / Jason Dorday 

“The fuel is contained within its fuel tanks and we’ve got no indication of any leaking coming from those tanks,” Brown said. 

The NZ Defence Force confirmed Manawanui was carrying nearly 1000 tonnes of diesel when it sank. 

Footage from Samoa showed a sea turtle struggling in an oil spill near the wreck site. 

Local village fishermen and a tour operator reported seeing oil slicks near the reef and surrounding areas where HMNZS Manawanui now lies, off the southern coast of Upolu. 

Tour operator Brent Ross, of Offshore Adventures, told the Herald earlier this week he saw a large amount of diesel near the wreck. 

On Monday, the Samoa Conservation Society said on Facebook it “only found limited signs of oil pollution and debris” during a rapid survey. 

“It is possible however that there is an oil slick on the reef or in the ocean and it is being dispersed in the high seas and swell,” the society wrote. 

“It is also possible that there was a diesel spill when the boat went down which is not as visible as heavy fuel oil but is nevertheless damaging to wildlife.” 

Further surveys were needed to determine the extent of any spills, it said. Metal shipping containers and other debris from the boat including diving gear had washed up on shore and been collected by locals. 

The stricken HMNZS Manawanui billows smoke before sinking below the waves after it struck a reef. Photo / Profile Boats 

“We were told of a number of sea turtles that had died at Sataoa tai and were also informed by a local fisherman that there had been some oil washed up on the beach at Sataoa tai yesterday and there had been a strong smell of oil along the shore.” 

In a Defence Force press release on Tuesday announcing that Navy divers had begun assessing the wreck, Maritime Component Commander Commodore Shane Arndell was quoted as saying a “light oil sheen” from the initial capsize was being dispersed by wind and waves. Navy personnel were clearing flotsam from the beach near the wreck, which is lying about 30m deep. 

HMNZS Manawanui Commanding Officer Commander Yvonne Gray has not spoken to media regarding the sinking. 

When the Navy ship HMNZS Manawanui began to list on Saturday evening, Commander Yvonne Gray decided to evacuate the ship. Photo / NZ Defence Force 

But she was quoted at the end of the Defence Force press release on Tuesday as saying the incident was when her “very worst imagining became a reality”. 

“However, my team responded in exactly the way I needed them to. They acted with commitment, with comradeship and, above all, with courage,” the press release quoted her as saying. 

The black box has since been salvaged from the wreck.