Oil tanker, navy frigate collide off Norway

Oil tanker, navy frigate collide off Norway

An oil tanker and a Norwegian navy frigate on Thursday, collided near the coast of western Norway.

The incident lightly injured seven people, rescue services and the armed forces said.

There was no sign of any leak from the Sola TS oil tanker, rescue leader, Ben Vikoeren, at the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre for southern Norway told Reuters.

The tanker had earlier left Equinor’s Sture oil shipment terminal with a cargo of North Sea crude.

The KNM Helge Ingstad frigate took on water and was at risk of sinking. Its crew of 137 had been evacuated, Vikoeren said.

The tanker vessel will return to port for inspection, he added.

The Sola TS, an Aframax class vessel built in 2017, belongs to Tsakos Energy Navigation, according to the company’s website.

The KNM Helge Ingstad had recently taken part in NATO’s Trident Juncture military exercise, which centred on defence of Norway.