After a New Zealand navy vessel struck a reef and sunk, some social media users have identified the captain’s gender as the principal cause. The country’s defense minister has slammed the sexist abuse.

New Zealand’s defense minister has called out “vile” and “misogynistic” criticism of the female captain of a navy ship that sank off the coast of Samoa on Sunday.

“Seriously, it’s 2024,” Judith Collins told reporters on Thursday. “What the hell’s going on here? Where’s a bit of decency?”

HMNZS Manawanui ran aground on a reef it was surveying about a mile off the coast of Upolu, Samoa’s most populous island, before catching fire.

  • tal@lemmy.today
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    3 months ago

    So what have they said yet about the actual cause?

    kagis

    Sounds like nothing, but this is interesting:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMNZS_Manawanui_(2019)

    The sinking will be investigated by a naval Court of Inquiry.[46] “[Chief of Navy, rear admiral Garin] Golding said some parts of the inquiry would likely be public but others - for example where commercially sensitive information was involved - would remain confidential.”[47]

    I mean, “security sensitive” would be surprising but at least something I’d maybe expect for a military ship, but “commercially-sensitive”? For a navy ship?

    Only thing I can think of is that the New Zealand state was looking for oil or something.

    looks more

    She had previously served as the civilian survey vessel MV Edda Fonn in the Norwegian oil and gas industry.

    Ah. Well, maybe that is a possibility, then.

    • Nighed@feddit.uk
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      3 months ago

      Lots of the oil exploration ships are custom built for the job. This one is old, but I would guess that there may be some design information regarding it’s survey capability that was marked as protected when it was purchased, even if it’s not really relevant anymore

  • Crampon@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    So dumb. The captain can be partially blamed if there was negligence considering planned routes going through areas with bad ZOC (zone of confidence), or bad knowledge of depth in easier terms. Which might be a reason as they were surveying the area. But that’s pure speculation.

    Trying to blame anything on the captain being a woman is just ridiculous. The navigator on watch could also run the ship aground due to bad navigation, without the captain even being included in the process.

    Every time a grey ship is in an accident people open their cake holes. Let the investigation do its thing, then come back next year spewing your shit.

  • Kanzar@sh.itjust.works
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    3 months ago

    Not just that but I’ve seen posts mocking the captain for being a lesbian, and wokeness for why the boat crashed.

    • stellargmite@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Meanwhile the NZ gov use this as a distraction while they display a disgusting lack of humility, regret, or compassion to the people who will be most affected by this. What an embarrassment. They behave as if this is a minor loss by the All Blacks, while traipsing around the world on trade junkets with smarmy CEO-like abandon. Talk about up ending NZ’s already tenuous reputation in the South Pacific, and with our long disrespected neighbour Samoa. Not enough that this gov are trashing our local environment and services within the country. They really had to cherry pick these trolls out of a sea of moderate response , most likely at the instruction of their PR social media and info strategy overlords. I’m sure the skipper of this vessel is suffering enough without her government (and employer) cynically using her as a political opportunity for distraction.

    • Ep1cFac3pa1m@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Every time something bad happens when a white man is in charge I’m going to say it happened because the boat/company/whatever wasn’t woke enough.

  • Frostbeard@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    They slammed a frigate into an oil tanker in Norway. Oil tanker was being tugged and cant really manouver in a meaningful way, but the warship somehow didn’t see it in the dark. Turns out modern frigates are more floating radar/weapon platforms and very very brittle

  • Madrigal@lemmy.world
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    3 months ago

    Judith Collin’s is a truly awful person, but even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

  • Media Bias Fact Checker@lemmy.worldB
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    3 months ago
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    https://www.dw.com/en/samoas-first-female-prime-minster-takes-office-finally/a-58654921
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