Combined Branches Technical Presentation

Forum Samoa - Reef to Recovery

A combined online event from The Royal Institution of Naval Architects, Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology and The Nautical Institute New Zealand Branch.

The container vessel MV FORUM SAMOA II operated in the South Pacific region. In September 2009, she ran aground on a coral reef at the entrance to Apia Harbour, Samoa, creating an environmental risk due to the fuel oil carried on board.

Against significant technical and operational challenges, the vessel was successfully refloated, sailed under her own power to Singapore and reconstructed. Following the completion of repairs, she was returned to service. This remarkable salvage and restoration project required the expertise of specialists including navigators, marine engineers, and naval architects. It is one of the more challenging maritime recovery operations undertaken in the region.

Background of Presenter

Harsha Devendra is a Marine Engineer who served on board a variety of merchant vessels before coming ashore as a Superintendent. He is a Marine Surveyor and an MNZ-accredited MOSS Inspector.

He was the attending Superintendent for the vessel and played a key role throughout both the incident response and the subsequent restoration project. Drawing on first-hand experience, he will provide unique insights into the challenges, decision-making processes, and engineering solutions that enabled the vessel's successful recovery and return to service.

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