– Dramatic Discoveries – NRK Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country

On Thursday, the Havarikommission presented a preliminary report after the accident of the Helge Ingstad frigate. The report states that the Ingstad KNM crew probably thought that the tanker Sola TS was "a stationary object".

In its interim report, the Commission also writes that critical safety conditions have been discovered in the frigate, that it is appropriate to "take immediate charge".

The mistake is that the three watertight sections of the ship were filled with more significant water damage caused by the damage.

It was discovered that the hollow shaft of the propeller dragged water from an impervious frigate zone to the rapidly filling cavity. From there, several other parts of the hull were filled with water.

– critical

The defense announced at another press conference Thursday that it would implement temporary measures for all Nansen-class frigates following the findings of the Havarik Commission.

"We have taken steps to have the frigates navigate," said Haakon Bruun-Hanssen, CEO.

Former flag commander and independent leader Jacob Børresen followed the presentation of the Havarik Commission's preliminary report. He thinks that the information on possible errors in the tight sections of the frigate is sensational.

"I want to characterize this as a dramatic discovery – in the event of an accident or collision, it means that the boat can be much more vulnerable than expected," says Børresen.

He explains that the fault described concerns the larger parts of the frigate where water can penetrate.

"The consequence of water entry is critical," says Børresen.

Not waterproof

At a press conference held this afternoon, Kristian Haugnes responded to the Norwegian Civil Aviation Commission for the defense, thus confirming direct questions about the mistake, meaning that the Scots from Helge Ingstad not was waterproof

– yes We discover that water flows through the well and into another room. They were not waterproof, says Haugnes.

The filling in the trunk led to the decision to start preparations for the evacuation, writes the Havarik Commission in its report.

Here, it seems that the error probably also applies to several other ships. There are five frigates of the same type as KNM Ingstad, listed on the Defense websites. All are provided by the Spanish shipyard

"This is supposed to apply to the four remaining ships of the Nansen class frigate," writes the hearing committee in an attachment to the report presented.

– Should impose restrictions on other frigates

It can not be ruled out that the same critical errors apply to even more ships delivered from the Spanish shipyard, the report says.

Former independent chief Børresen believes the information is worrying.

– I notice that a message has been sent to Navatia (the journalist of the Spanish shipping company) who has to review his designs to see if the same problem recurs on other boats. I think that sounds very special, says Børresen to NRK.

He thinks it's necessary to quickly determine if all the frigates of the Nansen class are affected by the mistake.

"If other frigates make the same mistake, I will assume that there are restrictions on the operations and navigation routes that they can take before it is rectified," Børresen said.

Two notifications

The collision between Helge Ingstad and tanker Sola TS occurred on the night of 8 to 8 November. The purpose of the preliminary report is to disseminate information obtained during the initial phase of the ongoing investigation.

As a result of these findings, the Hearing Panel issues two security critical alerts.

• The Hearing Panel recommends, in cooperation with the Navy and the Armed Forces Materiel Inspectorate, to investigate the findings of this initial investigation and to take the necessary measures to maintain security.
• The Naval Commission recommends that Navantia, the shipbuilder, investigate the findings and determine whether these findings apply equally to other vessels.
• In addition, if necessary, inform shipbuilding yards, owners and operators concerned, indicating the measures to be taken to ensure safety.

Børresen thinks there are still outstanding issues.

– What is the reason why it was not discovered when the construction of the boat was specified? Could it be that the drawings were not followed and that this was not discovered by our inspectors? Or is it a clean construction error? This needs to be clarified, says Børresen.