A Samoan village prepares to welcome King Charles but fears an uncertain future for its reef

SIUMU, Samoa (AP) — Under clear skies, shortly after sunrise in the beachside fishing village of Siumu, Samoa, on Tuesday a dozen men and children prepared their small boats for a day at sea. But underwater a mile off the coast, lay the hulking shape of a sunken New Zealand naval vessel them is forcing them to travel further away to fish than before.

They had arrived home from Monday’s trip just a few hours earlier.

The village, festooned with Samoan and British flags, is bustling with preparations to host King Charles III and Queen Camilla when the royals arrive on Wednesday for a biennial meeting of leaders from 56 Commonwealth countries. It is the first time a Pacific Island nation has hosted the event.

But Siumu was already busy. New Zealand and Samoan officials have been working along miles of the nearby coastline for weeks to monitor and curb environmental damage caused by the sinking of the HMNZS Manawanui, which ran aground on the reef, caught fire and sank earlier this month.

The 75 people on board the specialist dive and hydrographic vessel — one of nine ships in New Zealand’s navy — were all evacuated safely.

Early fears of a catastrophic fuel spill were later quashed by officials who said oil had not gushed from the ship as it sank. But many who live in Siumu and surrounding villages are worried that damage to the reef from the wreck threatens their longer-term survival.

“I don’t know when it’s going to be good again and to back to the normal as we have before,” said Netina Malae, who has temporarily closed her small resort at nearby Tafitoala. The colorful fales, or huts, lining the beach sit empty.

Recovery efforts on the reef have focused on removing three large shipping containers left after the sinking,