It started snowing in Oslo just before the weekend, adding to the upcoming holiday atmosphere but causing problems for guests leaving a prominent julebord (pre-holiday party), at which Prime Minister Erna Solberg and other politicians were among the guests. Newspaper Aftenposten reported that the party was attended by around 100 journalists who regularly cover political issues […]
More challenge collision report
December 7, 2018
Both the owner of the tanker that collided with the frigate KNM Helge Ingstad and workers at the shipyard where the frigate was built have challenged a preliminary report on the collision issued last week by Norway’s state accident investigation board. That follows accusations that the report has downplayed the role of the crew on […]
Weather delays frigate salvage
December 6, 2018
Norwegian naval officials don’t think they’ll be able to raise the wreckage of the frigate KNM Helge Ingstad until after the Christmas holidays, because of what they call “demanding weather conditions.” Salvage crews did manage, however, to remove the frigate’s missiles this week. Newspaper Bergens Tidende reported that the weather was good until Monday afternoon, […]
Ex-maritime chief blasts frigate report
December 5, 2018
A former top official at Norway’s state maritime directorate who’s also a veteran of the UN’s International Maritime Organzation (IMO) is strongly criticizing a preliminary report on last month’s collision and near sinking of the frigate KNM Helge Ingstad. He claims the report downplays the responsibility of the frigate’s crew, and calls the collision “an […]
Navy scrambles to fix vessel faults
November 29, 2018
The serious collision between a Norwegian frigate and a fully-laden tanker northeast of Bergen earlier this month is already having some consequences. Accident investigators have found fault with the frigate’s supposedly water-tight compartment design, while the Navy is also tightening rules for when the frigates and other military vessels can turn off their Automatic Indentification […]
Human error likely in frigate collision
November 29, 2018
Norway’s state accident investigation board issued a preliminary report on Thursday in which it found “no indications that technical systems did not function as expected,” prior to the dramatic collision between a Norwegian frigate and a tanker earlier this month. That suggests human error, investigators acknowledged, while noting that “no single act or incident” was […]
Frigate questions frustrate minister
November 28, 2018
He hasn’t resorted to calling them “enemies of the people,” like US President Donald Trump has, but Norwegian Defense Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen has definitely come out swinging against inquisitive reporters. He thinks they’ve been asking far too many questions after a Norwegian frigate collided with a tanker earlier this month. “It’s quite unique that an […]
Historic floating dock capsizes
November 26, 2018
A large floating dock that was built in 1911 but still in use on Norway’s West Coast suddenly capsized and sank Monday morning. Two workers on the dock landed in the water but were quickly rescued before it sank out of sight. The dock was located at Ågotnes west of Bergen, right where a naval […]
Hopes fade for finding missing woman
November 26, 2018
After five days of intense searching in the mountains around Ørsta in Sunnmøre, police and rescue crews were losing hopes of finding 25-year-old Maya Justyna Herner alive. The young woman from Poland failed to return from what was supposed to be a short hike last Wednesday. Search and rescue crews resumed their efforts Sunday morning, […]
Navy ship collided after frigate duty
November 26, 2018
The Norwegian Navy suffered another accident on Sunday, when a vessel that had spent the weekend coordinating the salvage of the mostly sunken frigate KNM Helge Ingstad collided itself with a small boat. Questions are rising, meanwhile, over how the government will cover the rapidly mounting costs of the frigate’s own collision and salvage operation. […]
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