Helge Ingstad case: Twitt Navigation to pay 235 million kroner to the Norwegian state 

The owner of the Sola TS tanker will pay the Ministry of Defense NOK 235 million after the collision with the frigate Helge Ingstad in 2018.

The case was supposed to go to court at the end of February, but the parties agreed on a settlement last week.

“After legal mediation was carried out, the parties now agree to settle the case. The Ministry of Defense is satisfied that the case has now been concluded with a good result for the state,” the Ministry of Defense wrote in a press release on Monday morning.

A large settlement

NTB has been given access to the settlement agreement. It shows that Twitt Navigation Limited, which owns the tanker, undertakes to pay NOK 235 million within 30 days.

In return, the state at the Ministry of Defense undertakes to withdraw the lawsuit against the owner. The state also agrees to withdraw all future and current claims against the tanker owner.

The night before Friday, November 8, 2018, the frigate KNM Helge Ingstad collided with the oil tanker Sola TS at the Sture terminal in Øygarden in Hordaland. 

The frigate was heavily damaged in the collision, and only five days later, the state sued the shipping company Twitt Navigation Limited, which owns Sola TS.

Twitt Navigation later filed a lawsuit against the state. After several postponements, the case should have started in Hordaland District Court on February 28.

Settlement reached

The law firm Simonsen Vogt Wiig was to represent Twitt Navigation in the lawsuit. The firm told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) that a settlement was reached instead.

“Beyond that, we have no comment,” lawyer Øyvind Grøneng said.

In 2019, the state also sued DNV, which approved the frigate, because they believed that the company should have discovered a fault with the propeller shafts on the ship. This lawsuit was filed in May last year.

After the incident, it was decided that Helge Ingstad would become scrap metal.

The collision has cost the state a lot of money. A new, similar frigate will cost between NOK 11 and 13 billion. 

Source : © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews

Do you have a news tip for Norway Today? We want to hear it. Get in touch at [email protected]