SBJORN HELGE INGSTAD

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Settlement between Navantia Yard and Norwegian state after loss of frigate

On June 2, 2025, the Spanish shipyard Navantia, which built the 'Helge Ingstad', will avoid a lawsuit after the loss of the ship in 2018. A new settlement meant that the Norwegian state will receive a discount on future maintenance tasks, although at a value far from what the state originally demanded. After almost seven years of legal dispute over responsibility for the sinking of the frigate,, the Norwegian state and the Spanish shipyard Navantia have reached a settlement that closes a significant part of the compensation case. The agreement means that Navantia will provide a discount of 47.5 million euros on future maintenance and upgrade work on Norway's remaining five Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates. This is a fraction of the total claim of 15 billion Norwegian crowns, that the Norwegian state raised after the accident report's conclusions about a critical design flaw. Since the sinking in 2018, the Norwegian Ministry of Defense has waged a long-running battle to assign technical responsibility for the accident, in which the 'Helge Ingstad' collided with the tanker 'Sola TS' and subsequently sank. The accident report determined that water quickly entered the ship due to hollow propeller shafts, a defect that, according to the Norwegian Defense Ministry, was crucial to the frigate's inability to be saved. Against this background, the Norwegian state demanded a total of 15 billion Norwegian crowns in compensation from both the shipyard Navantia and the classification society DNV GL. However, with the settlement, the state now acknowledges that the case against the shipyard will not be taken to court, and that financial compensation will instead be provided in the form of a discount over the next six years. Navantia has long sought access to previously secret documents, which, according to the shipyard, could nuance the assessment of technical responsibility and the role of the Norwegian Defense in the accident. The shipyard has publicly criticized the Norwegian Ministry of Defense's decision to withhold internal documents that could potentially shed a different light on the case. Navantia believes that the Norwegian state's secrecy has prevented a full technical investigation. However, with the settlement, the parties choose to put the case behind them, without the shipyard formally acknowledging responsibility.