Turtles have perished and a strong smell of oil has been detected on Samoan beaches as fears mount for the impact on sea life in the wake of the Manawanui sinking.

Village fishermen and a tour operator based on the southern coast of the island of Upolu, in Samoa, have worked the last two days to clear debris from the New Zealand naval ship that sank in its waters over the weekend.

They have also reported seeing oil slicks out near the reef and surrounding areas where the HMNZS Manawanui now lies - with mounting fears for the impact on the sea life environment, in an area where the people depend and live off the ocean.

A conservation survey of surrounding villages has found a number of sea turtles had already died at Sataoa Tai [village] and local fishermen reported oil had washed up on the beach at Sataoa Tai along with a strong smell of oil.

Local tour operator Brent Ross, of Offshore Adventures, spent the day out yesterday collecting as much debris and plastic rubbish floating on the ocean.

“I just grabbed whatever heavy plastics that I could see - there was diving gear and apparatus and anything I could see that didn’t belong in the ocean, I grabbed.”

Fishermen from the coastal villagers had also been out collecting debris and taking it back to shore.

Ross and a couple of his guests were back out on the water this morning.

Speaking to the Herald from his boat, he said: “We’re going out to see if there’s more stuff to clean up and see how the fuel situation [is].

“Just with me now I’ve got three containers. They were all stuck on the reef. There’s a bit of fuel spill on the water - not as much as yesterday morning, which is surprising,” he said.

“We did go outside the reef and have a look and maybe 100 or so metres from where the wreck is, there is a lot of diesel on the water out there.”

Not long after the NZ Navy ship sank on Sunday morning, people in the nearby villages started reporting a strong smell of oil or fuel.

The impact on villagers who depend on the sea

The NZ Defence Force has confirmed almost 1000 tonnes of diesel was on board the Manawanui before it sank.

Ross captured video footage of an oil slick and debris floating through it yesterday.

New Zealand Defence Force personnel on shore after being rescued from the sea when the ship Manawanui ran aground in Samoa. Photo / Samoa Fire and Emergency Services Authority

“There was a green turtle in amongst the [debris], first aid stuff, life jackets and rubbish.”

He has lived and worked in Samoa for about 24 years and spoke about the importance of the ocean to the people.

“A lot of Samoan people have a [simple] lifestyle. A lot of families, they go out fishing every night and it’s how they feed their families. So if this has a major impact on the sea and fish life, there’s going to be a lot of families that are very negatively affected.

“As a tourism operator... I’m trying to stay positive. I hope the clean-up goes well and hope that the fuel disperses or gets cleaned up.”

Late this morning, the Samoan Government declared a tapu (prohibited area) on the Tafitoala Coast surrounding the wreckage of the naval ship, while an official oil spill response is put in place.

Meanwhile, a team from the Samoa Conservation Society has carried out a rapid survey in surrounding villages, as other official surveys are being carried out today.

“We were told of a number of sea turtles that had died at Sataoa Tai [village] and were also informed by local fishermen that there had been some oil washed up on the beach at Sataoa Tai (on Sunday) and a strong smell of oil along the shore.

“The bigger challenge will now be dealing with the oil that presumable remains in the hull of the sunken Navy boat. We hope and trust that the NZ Navy will take responsibility to clean this up.”

- NZ Herald