A norwegian naval officer was convicted of negligence in an 2018 collision of the frigate HNoMS Helge Ingstad and fully loaded 112,939-dwt Maltese-flagged Sola TS, resulting in the sinking of the warship, reports Reuters.
According to a 2019 report by the armed forces, the cost of constructing a replacement for the lost frigate, Helge Ingstad, was estimated to be as high as US$1.24 billion.
The collision occurred in the early morning between the Ingstad and the fully loaded crude carrier near a central oil export terminal in the North Sea.
As a consequence, parts of Norway's petroleum production were temporarily halted. Fortunately, there was no oil leakage from the tanker.
The defendant, who was in charge of the bridge of the Ingstad at the time, had pleaded not guilty to negligence.
Following the verdict, the officer's lawyer, Christian Lundin, expressed his client's disappointment and mentioned that he firmly believed it was unjust for him to shoulder the entire blame for the accident.
The prosecution had sought a four-month suspended jail sentence, while the defendant received a two-month suspended sentence.
Crew members of the Ingstad, totalling 137 individuals, recounted waking up in the middle of the night to water flooding their cabins and alarms sounding as they unsuccessfully tried to save the ship. Fortunately, they sustained only minor injuries.
Recordings of communication between the two vessels revealed that the slower-moving Sola TS had repeatedly requested the faster Ingstad to alter its course or risk collision.
However, the navy ship declined the request, fearing that it would get too close to the shore.
An investigative commission attributed the collision to the possible difficulty in distinguishing the brightly lit Sola TS from the nearby terminal from where it had departed, which led to confusion among the Ingstad crew.
A video recording from the tanker depicted sparks flying as the two vessels collided, resulting in a gash in the side of the warship. The Ingstad was subsequently scrapped, while the tanker incurred only minor damage.
The collision exposed safety deficiencies in the Norwegian Navy, such as inadequate training and risk assessment systems. As a consequence, the defence ministry paid a fine of NOK10 million (US$9.2 million).
SeaNews Turkey
According to a 2019 report by the armed forces, the cost of constructing a replacement for the lost frigate, Helge Ingstad, was estimated to be as high as US$1.24 billion.
The collision occurred in the early morning between the Ingstad and the fully loaded crude carrier near a central oil export terminal in the North Sea.
As a consequence, parts of Norway's petroleum production were temporarily halted. Fortunately, there was no oil leakage from the tanker.
The defendant, who was in charge of the bridge of the Ingstad at the time, had pleaded not guilty to negligence.
Following the verdict, the officer's lawyer, Christian Lundin, expressed his client's disappointment and mentioned that he firmly believed it was unjust for him to shoulder the entire blame for the accident.
The prosecution had sought a four-month suspended jail sentence, while the defendant received a two-month suspended sentence.
Crew members of the Ingstad, totalling 137 individuals, recounted waking up in the middle of the night to water flooding their cabins and alarms sounding as they unsuccessfully tried to save the ship. Fortunately, they sustained only minor injuries.
Recordings of communication between the two vessels revealed that the slower-moving Sola TS had repeatedly requested the faster Ingstad to alter its course or risk collision.
However, the navy ship declined the request, fearing that it would get too close to the shore.
An investigative commission attributed the collision to the possible difficulty in distinguishing the brightly lit Sola TS from the nearby terminal from where it had departed, which led to confusion among the Ingstad crew.
A video recording from the tanker depicted sparks flying as the two vessels collided, resulting in a gash in the side of the warship. The Ingstad was subsequently scrapped, while the tanker incurred only minor damage.
The collision exposed safety deficiencies in the Norwegian Navy, such as inadequate training and risk assessment systems. As a consequence, the defence ministry paid a fine of NOK10 million (US$9.2 million).
SeaNews Turkey
