Norway frigate collision due mainly to human factors: inquiry
A collision earlier this month between a Norwegian frigate and a Maltese oil tanker was mainly due to human factors, investigators said 29 November, ruling out a technical error at this stage.
Returning from NATO's Trident Juncture exercises, the KNM Helge Ingstad frigate sank after crashing into the Sola TS tanker in the early hours of 8 November, in a fjord near the western Norwegian town of Bergen.
Eight of the 137 people aboard the frigate received minor injuries.
‘As we see it, this is largely due to human factors,’ Dag Liseth of Norway's Accident Investigation Board told reporters as the preliminary findings into the cause of the accident were presented.
Investigators said the frigate's crew appeared to have confused the tanker with land, as the lights on the tanker - which was departing an oil terminal - blended together with the terminal's lights, and also made it impossible to see the tanker's navigation lanterns.
Another misunderstanding also occurred. The frigate ignored the tanker's warnings over the radio to veer starboard to avoid a collision, thinking the calls were coming from another vessel farther away in the fjord.
‘No isolated action or event caused the accident, but the accident can be explained by a series of compounded factors and circumstances,’ the accident board said in its preliminary assessment.
It also said it had no ‘indication at present that technical systems malfunctioned’.
Authorities are still trying to raise the 5,000-tonne vessel, which is almost entirely submerged.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Better late than never: Spanish Navy commissions its first S-80A submarine more than 10 years behind schedule]()
Better late than never: Spanish Navy commissions its first S-80A submarine more than 10 years behind schedule
The S-80A Plus, a new class of ocean-going submarines, will enhance the Spanish Navy’s capabilities despite the challenges and delays experienced during their development and delivery.
-
![New Zealand's HMNZS Te Mana successfully fires first Sea Ceptor missile]()
New Zealand's HMNZS Te Mana successfully fires first Sea Ceptor missile
CMS 330 is a combat management system developed by Lockheed Martin Canada that serves as the backbone for several Canadian and Chilean ship classes and has been installed on RNZN Anzac-class frigates.
-
![Turkey’s ASFAT on track to deliver first Hisar OPV in 2024]()
Turkey’s ASFAT on track to deliver first Hisar OPV in 2024
While outfitting activities on the first two Hisar-class OPVs have been advancing at Istanbul Naval Shipyard, discussions for additional platforms continue.
-
![Future of the South African Navy looks bleak despite new ships entering service]()
Future of the South African Navy looks bleak despite new ships entering service
The commissioning of SAS King Shaka Zulu, a Multi-Mission Inshore Patrol Vessel, into the South African Navy masks serious problems for the service as fleet availability falls dangerously low and capability atrophies.
-
![Babcock wins UK Royal Navy’s Dreadnought support contracts]()
Babcock wins UK Royal Navy’s Dreadnought support contracts
Babcock has won contracts worth more than £120 million to support the development and delivery of the Dreadnought-class submarines for the UK’s Royal Navy.
-
![Make or break: Can the European Patrol Corvette programme save shipbuilding in Europe?]()
Make or break: Can the European Patrol Corvette programme save shipbuilding in Europe?
With funding from the European Defence Fund and partner countries, the European Patrol Corvette programme has an opportunity to become the standard bearer for defence procurement and potentially offer a route forward for naval shipbuilding in Europe.
