A tanker loaded with oil on its way to the UK collided with the frigate KNM “Helge Ingstad”.
A Norwegian Navy frigate could sink after it was rammed by a tanker while docked in a harbour on the country’s west coast on Thursday, the military has said. Eight people were injured when the accident occurred around 4am and the 137-strong crew have been evacuated amid fears it could sink.
The Aegis combat system equipped Norwegian frigate “Helge Ingstad” had a collision with the oil tanker “Sola” and suffered significant damage near Bergen, Norway.
The incident happened in the heart of the most salmon farming region in Europe and could have spelled disaster for the area.
“We are on our way to investigating the incident,” said Dag Sverre Liseth, Maritime Commissioner for Maritime Transport.
Liseth confirmed that they are investigating the incident.
“In the first phase we will gather information and try to understand what happened,” he said.
The frigate is on shallow ground and there is no danger that it will sink, but the fire service says there is a risk that the boat will go around.
According to NRK, the Greek shipping company, Tsakos Energy, owns the 820 feet tanker.
“We are concerned about the frigate,” said Tsakos Energy spokesman, Patrick Adamson. Adamson said that there were 23 people on board. None of them have been reported as injured.
The vessel had collected oil from the Stureterminal in Øygarden in Hordaland, and was heading to the UK when the accident occurred on Thursday morning. The main rescue center was notified of the accident at 04.03 on Thursday morning.
The ship was escorted by a tugboat on the way out Hjeltefjord north from Sture, according to Adamson.
“The company is in contact with local authorities and offers our support,” said Adamson.
Liseth in the Havarikommission says that access to the tanker will be essential for the investigation.
This image shows the designated route to “Sola”. When the main rescue center was notified of the accident at 04.03 this was the position of the ship. The time at Marine Traffic is stated as UTC, which is one hour behind Norwegian time. At that time, the tanker had recently swung to starboard after walking almost north since it left Sture. SCREEN DUMP: Marinetraffic.com
