The Sture terminal and the Kollsnes plant resumed operations on Thursday afternoon after being shut down due to the collision between the frigate KNM Helge Ingstad and the tanker Sola TS at the Sture terminal, on early Thursday morning. Also North Sea installations affected by the shut-down of the two onshore plants are gradually starting up again.
The company said it would gradually shut down operations at Sture terminal, the Kolnes plant, as well as production at the Oseberg and Troll areas in the North Sea, as a result from the collision between the Norwegian warship and the Maltese-flagged oil tanker ‘Sola TS’ off Bergen, at about at 04:03 hrs Thursday.
The KNM Helge Ingstad was returning from Nato military exercises, while the tanker had earlier left Equinor’s Sture oil shipment terminal carrying a cargo of crude oil, when they collided at the Sture terminal for unspecified reason. The tanker suffered minor damage and there was no injury or oil spill reported.
However, the frigate has developed a very dangerous list and is at risk of sinking. All of the 137 crew were safely evacuated with seven people suffering minor injuries.
The Accident Investigation Board Norway (AIBN) announced it has decided to investigate the collision in collaboration with the Defence Accident Investigation Board Norway (DAIBN) and has already crew on-site. The tanker Sola TS is Malta-registered and the Marine Safety Investigation Unit (MSIU) of Malta will also participate in the investigation.
On the accident, NATO Marcom stated:
The Norwegian Armed Forces are working with the Norwegian Coastal Authority to address the situation. The Norwegian frigate HNoMS Helge Ingstad is part of the Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1). The group was sailing in and around the Fjords, following their participation in exercise Trident Juncture 2018 which concluded on November 7th.
