The Diplomat
Navantia has been exonerated of any responsibility in the accident of the Norwegian frigate KNM Helde Ingstad, which sank after colliding with the tanker Sola TS in the early hours of 8 November 2018, according to the final report produced by the Norwegian Safety Investigation Agency (NSIA).
The Norwegian frigate, built by the Spanish shipyard Navantia, sank in the vicinity of the Norwegian city of Bergen after colliding with the tanker, and, according to the NSIA report, the sinking could have been avoided if the crew had taken appropriate measures.
The Spanish shipping company has expressed, in a press release, its satisfaction with a report that includes 28 recommendations to improve safety in the operation of ships, none of them addressed to Navantia.
The report highlights several serious errors and estimates made after the frigate collided with a cargo ship, and points the finger at the Norwegian Navy for not providing the crew with adequate training in advance to act in such a case.
“Doors, hatches and other openings that were supposed to be closed to maintain stability and buoyancy were not closed by the crew at the time of the evacuation,” explains the report, which stresses that this could have prevented the sinking.
Navantia underlines the professionalism of the NSIA’s investigation, according to which the collision caused “serious damage to the frigate, beyond that for which it was designed”.
It also welcomes the NSIA’s conclusion that the passage of water through the shaft line “was not a decisive factor in causing the sinking”. This issue had been mentioned by investigators in a preliminary report published a few weeks after the accident.
The press release ends by stating that Navantia has cooperated at all times with the NSIA to facilitate their work and affirming that the company has a cordial relationship with the Royal Norwegian Navy.
KNM Helge Ingstad was the fourth of five frigates built by Navantia for the Royal Norwegian Navy between 2006 and 2011.
