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.
You may also like
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Myanmar launches new FF-135 frigate, the largest ever built in its domestic yards]()
Myanmar launches new FF-135 frigate, the largest ever built in its domestic yards
The launch of the King Thalun marks a high point for shipbuilding in Myanmar.
-
![Latest Virginia-class submarine, the future USS Iowa, delivered to US Navy]()
Latest Virginia-class submarine, the future USS Iowa, delivered to US Navy
The second Virginia-class vessel delivered in 2024, the USS Iowa is also the twelfth battle force vessel added to the US Navy across the year.
-
![China launches Type 076 next-generation amphibious assault vessel]()
China launches Type 076 next-generation amphibious assault vessel
The Type 076, named the Sichuan at launch, is part of a naval arms race with the US Navy.
-
![NATO to strengthen its Baltic Sea presence after new cable cutting incident]()
NATO to strengthen its Baltic Sea presence after new cable cutting incident
The vessel suspected of cutting cables has been boarded by the Finnish Coast Guard, and Estonia has launched naval protection patrols.
-
![How bad management could put the US Navy’s cruiser fleet far behind Chinese capabilities]()
How bad management could put the US Navy’s cruiser fleet far behind Chinese capabilities
While China has been rapidly advancing with the development of the Type 055 class, the US Navy has been struggling to progress with the modernisation of its cruiser fleet.
-
![Fincantieri joins roster of major companies working to protect undersea cables]()
Fincantieri joins roster of major companies working to protect undersea cables
The group’s collaboration with network provider Sparkle is the latest move to improve the robustness of submarine cable networks.
