Fears Norwegian Navy frigate could sink after being rammed by tanker in harbour
- Eight people on the KNM Helge Instad were slightly injured in the incident
- Maltese-flagged tanker, Sola TS, was not damaged and its 23-man crew remained on board
A Norwegian Navy frigate carrying a crew of 137 was rammed by a tanker while in a harbour on the country’s west coast Thursday, tearing a large hole in its side, the military said.
Eight people on the KNM Helge Instad were slightly injured – two of whom were taken to a nearby hospital – in the 4am accident in Sture, north of Bergen, said Rear Admiral Nils Andreas Stensoenes, the head of Norway’s Navy.
The crew were evacuated amid fears the vessel would sink. The ship, which had recently taken part in the vast Nato drill Trident Juncture in Norway, is “strongly listing,” Stensoenes told a news conference Thursday afternoon. The frigate was lying in the water almost on its side with its stern under the water.
The Maltese-flagged tanker, Sola TS, was not damaged and its 23-man crew remained on board. The shipping site Sysla reported that the tanker had been loaded with crude oil and was on its way to Britain.
Stensoenes said the cause of the accident was not clear and the Navy would wait for the findings of Norway’s Accident Investigation Board. Earlier reports had said a towboat was also involved in the accident, but Stensoenes denied this.
