A Norwegian naval officer was recently found guilty and sentenced for negligence in the 2018 collision of a warship and oil tanker. Collisions between ships are very serious incidents that can cause infrastructure damage, loss of cargo and ships, environmental damage, and in the worst cases, crew injuries and fatalities. Fortunately, in this instance, negligence did not lead to any deaths or serious injuries.
The Collision and its Repercussions
The incident occurred in November 2018 in the North Sea. The Norwegian naval frigate Helge Ingstad collided with the oil tanker Sola TS. The collision happened just outside of the Sture terminal near Bergen, Norway.
The oil tanker was leaving the terminal, and the frigate was southbound in a fjord. The automatic identification system (AIS) was in passive mode on the frigate. The frigate suffered a large gash and ultimately sank. The naval ship was a total loss and would cost $1.3 billion to replace, according to reports.
Eight people were injured in the incident, but there were no fatalities or severe injuries. In addition to the financial loss of the naval vessel, the incident cost losses in the local gas and oil industry. Damage to the terminal required a shutdown of the production and export of Norway’s North Sea crude oil for about a day. The tanker did not leak any significant amount of oil into the water.
Although casualties were minimal, there were 137 crew members on the Helge Ingstad who went through the ordeal. They described waking up in the early morning to alarm bells and water coming into cabins.
Negligence Led to the Collision
The officer in charge of the bridge at the time of the collision was tried for negligence, although he denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty. He believed he was singled out for the blame in the accident and that this was unfair.
Communications between the two vessels were recorded and indicated the officer did not respond adequately to the concerns of the tanker’s crew. The tanker contacted the frigate several times, asking the crew to alter its course as it was the faster vessel. The officer on the frigate refused those requests, stating that he did not want to get too close to shore.
In addition to the individual officer’s negligence, a report found important issues that contributed to the accident. Processes for advancement in the navy left the frigate with officers lacking adequate experience to handle the situation. The crew failed to use the available detection systems that would have helped them better identify the oncoming tanker.
The report also found that the Norwegian Coastal Administration’s process for monitoring traffic was inadequate. Better monitoring from the coast could have helped prevent the collision.
Collisions between these big vessels, even right off the coast, can cause serious injuries or even deaths to crew members. Maritime workers have a right to save work environments. When systems fail or are inadequate, negligence may be to blame.