The Norwegian defense ministry has withdrawn its lawsuit against classification society DNV in the wake of its frigate Helge Ingstad’s sinking in November 2018. The ministry had blamed DNV, but the state’s own accident investigation board later blamed poor training of the frigate’s crew instead.
Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) reported Thursday on how the defense ministry’s humiliation in the frigate fiasco now seems complete. The frigate collided with an oil tanker just north of its own home port in Bergen, which the investigation also later tied to poor training of the crew on the bridge.
The defense ministry had initially claimed NOK 15 billion in damages from DNV, on the grounds it hadn’t discovered an alleged weakness that allowed water to flow into the vessel after the collision. The officials investigation into the cause of the sinking, however, pointed to how crew members themselves had neglected to close hatch doors when evacuating the vessel.
“The report (from the investigation) provided important clarifications,” state attorney Ole Kristian Rigland told NRK on Thursday. “We have concluded that we no longer want a court case.”
DNV issued a statement Thursday that it was glad the state dropped its case.
newsinenglish.no staff
