Tuesday, January 19, 2021

"Norway to Scrap Wrecked Frigate Helge Ingstad"

 From gCaptain, January 19:

The wrecked Norwegian frigate Helge Ingstad will be scrapped in Norway now more than two years after its collision with a tanker outside the Sture Terminal.

Norwegian defense ministry Forsvarsmateriell reports that a contract for the demolition and recycling of the vessel has been awarded to Norscrap West AS. Work will be carried out at the company’s facilities in Hanøytangen, Norway.

The Helge Ingstad is currently pierside in Ã…gotnes, Norway, awaiting finalized plans to be moved to demolition site sometime in February, pending weather or other delays.

Demolition of the vessel is expected to cost about NOK 60 million with some of the costs expected to be offset by the resale value of any recyclable material. Work is planned to be complete by the end of the year.

The Helge Ingstad collided with the oil tanker Sola TS as the tanker was departing the Sture terminal in the Hjeltefjord in November 2018, causing extensive damage to the starboard side of the frigate which caused it to partially sink along the shoreline.

An Accident Investigation Board Norway investigation revealed multiple operational, technical, organizational and systemic factors contributing to the accident. Notably that frigate was not transmitting its automatic identification system signal when it collided with the tanker in the dark early morning hours....MORE

Collided is not quite correct. The tanker ran into the frigate as dgCaptain relayed in November 2019:

Helge Ingstad Collision Animation
An illustration shows the moment of impact when HNoMS Helge Ingstad and Sola TS 
collided outside the Sture Terminal in the Hjeltefjord. Illustration: AIBN

 ....MORE