SIUMU, Samoa, Oct 22, (AP): Under clear skies Tuesday, shortly after sunrise in the beachside fishing village of Siumu, Samoa, a dozen men and children prepared their small boats for a day at sea. But underwater, a mile off the coast, a sunken New Zealand naval vessel is forcing them to travel farther away to fish than before, and worrying many in the area about the future.

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 for weeks along miles of nearby coastline to monitor and deal with 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 (go) back to the normal,” 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, one of them laden with food. New Zealand's military hoped to float the final one - which is empty and damaged - to shore on Tuesday, although winds and tides threatened their efforts. Meanwhile, fishers who once spent their days where the boat foundered face longer and more expensive trips, they told The Associated Press.

"We doubled the amount of petrol to go far out to get fish,” said Faalogo Afereti Taliulu, citing advice from Samoa’s government that seafood from around the sunken ship should not be eaten. "That’s why that’s our concern. It’s financially affecting us.”