A Norwegian navy ship was reported to be at risk of sinking following a collision with a Tsakos Energy Navigation (TEN) aframax tanker on Thursday.
The Norwegian coast guard said the collision involving the KNM Helge Ingstad frigate and the 113,000-dwt Sola TS (built 2017) happened in Hjeltefjorden, north of the Sture terminal.
"It took on a lot of water and there is a real danger that it sinks where it is," a rescue official told AFP.
An image published by Norwegian broadcaster NRK showed that water had almost reached the level of the frigate's helicopter platform.
There were 137 people on the naval vessel, which was on a NATO exercise, when the incident occurred. All of these have now been evacuated.
The Sture oil terminal and the Kollsnes gas processing plant were shut down for several hours as a precautionary measure before resuming operations Thursday afternoon, according operator Equinor.
The tanker, with 23 crew, suffered damage well above the waterline.
No leak has been reported from the vessel.
Manager Tsakos Columbia Shipmanagement said in a statement that its tanker was under pilotage and had a tug as escort at the time of the collision in the early hours.
"Sola TS reports minor damage, no pollution and no crew injuries," it added.
"It is understood that the navy frigate suffered damage and subsequently went aground. Manager’s concerns are for the safety of all those involved."
Tanker to be inspected
The tanker remained at the scene of the incident and was scheduled to proceed to the terminal berth, or to the nearby port of Mongstad under its own power, for inspections, and then to resume passage to discharge in the UK, the company said.
"The manager immediately activated its emergency response procedures. The manager is in continuous contact with the vessel’s master and the local authorities to coordinate all necessary actions to ensure the safety of all those concerned and protection of the marine environment," it added.
"Managers will cooperate fully with the investigation into this incident."
Coast guard deputy director Johan Marius Ly said helicopter fuel has leaked from the frigate.
Minor injuries were reported to eight people, NATO said.
The tanker had earlier left Equinor’s Sture terminal with 600,000 barrels of North Sea crude.
While the Sture terminal is resuming operation, there will be some days before the terminal is again ready to receive oil piped from offshore fields in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea, according to Rystad Energy.
The terminal, which has about six million barrels of underground oil storage capacity, receives 105,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Oseberg Blend and 260,000 bpd of Grane Blend.
TEN has been contacted for comment.
Max Tingyao Lin contributed to this story.
