The Prime Minister has praised the efforts of New Zealand Defence Force personnel working in Samoa to respond to the sinking of HMNZS Manawanui.
Christopher Luxon landed in Apia on Thursday ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
His first engagement was a visit to Operation Resolution, the response headquarters to the HMNZS Manawanui sinking.
The ship caught fire and sank on 6 October after hitting a reef off the coast of Upolu.
Luxon said the focus had first been on making sure people were safe, and then on environmental mitigation and removing debris. There had been no loss of marine live, no pollution onshore, and the containers had been removed.
"We're trying to mitigate and dissipate any minor leaks that are coming out through venting pipes. The good news is those primary fuel tanks are intact - we'll talk about how we remove those very shortly."
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon meeting with the Manawanui response team from Operation Resolution in Samoa Photo: Russell Palmer / RNZ
The next step would be working with insurers and salvers to make sure the fuel was removed from the ship.
Luxon said he understood people would want to know about compensation, but it was not the focus for now.
"Our focus as a total government, and it has to be this way, is we want 100 percent focus each and every day. Because every day lost not dealing with mitigating the environmental impact is not something we're prepared to stand for."
Luxon said NZDF personnel had worked "incredibly hard" in difficult circumstances.
"We have seen the best of New Zealand, I think, through our service people who have been ground here right immediately from when the accident happened, and doing an incredible job. I'm very proud of them."
He also reiterated an apology to Samoa's Prime Minister on the incident.
"What I'm proud about is the Samoan government and the authorities have been fantastic to work with and partner with us and have invited us in. We're doing everything we can. We're putting all of our resources, all of our smart people onboard, all of our capacity and working in conjunction incredibly well."
Later on Thursday, Luxon is set to hold a bilateral with British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer.
He said the two would talk about expanding the bilateral relationship, particularly on the Free Trade Agreement and people-to-people movement.
It would also be an opportunity to talk about regional issues, Luxon said.
"The UK, over the last decade, has really stepped up its engagement in the Pacific. It's about what more can we do to partner with Pacific Island nations, work together to get economic development and critical infrastructure into the region."
He expected talks would also focus on Ukraine, given NZDF personnel have been working with British personnel in training Ukrainian soldiers. They would also discuss the Middle East.
Luxon said CHOGM was a "unique and special" forum and was looking forward to meeting counterparts and listening to them about what was important to them.
On Friday, he would meet with King Charles for the first time.
"It's a good chance to get a sense of, as a new king, where he would like CHOGM to go. It'd be interesting to get that perspective from him."
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
