The case is updated!
– I just want to have said it loud and clear – I am the one who is responsible for everything that happens on that boat, says Preben Ottesen.
He was ship commander and commander-in-chief when KNM Helge Ingstad collided with the tanker Sola TS on 8 November 2018.
Ottesen was sleeping in the cabin when the accident happened in the middle of the night, at 04.01 over four years ago.
When the impact occurred, he was thrown from the bunk.
– I caught myself shouting “no”, and at first got scared because I realized it was insanely serious. Then came the adrenaline rush, and then you wake up quickly.
– Struggling to accept
On the bridge stood a then 29-year-old man who had been cleared for watch chief duty around eight months before.
Although the watch commander was in charge of the bridge during the collision, Ottesen emphasizes that he is responsible for absolutely everything.
– If the chef cuts his finger or the boat collides with a tanker, I am responsible. If I’m being completely honest, I struggle to accept that he (defendant journ. note) is sitting there, and I’m sitting here, says Ottesen.
– But what if someone on your watch navigates incorrectly? What if the supervisor does something you don’t agree with? asks prosecutor Magne Kvamme Sylta.
– This is something that should not happen. I have thought about this so many times – what could I have done differently? says Ottesen.
WITNESS BOX: Captain Preben Ottesen says the crew on Helge Ingstad got excellent results in several exercises and that he was satisfied with the crew. Photo: Marit Hommedal / NTB
“Grilled” by the bosses
In court, the captain denied that the defendant, who has now turned 33, was not competent enough to lead Helge Ingstad.
– I found him to be very skilled. It was also one of the reasons why I gave him the position of navigation officer. He was a good guy I trusted, says Ottesen in court.
He says the defendant underwent tough courses and training that ended with an oral exam, where the ship’s commander described it in his own words as being “grilled” by the commanders on the frigate.
– There is a wide range of things you need to be able to do. Everything from accident situations to search and rescue, all-out war, sonar and navigational technical things.
HECTIC: According to the crew who testified in the Ingstad trial, there was a high level of stress on the bridge when they realized that the vessels were on a collision course. Here from an inspection of one of the Norwegian Armed Forces’ other Nansen frigates. Photo: Geir Olsen / POOL
– Know the responsibility
When a watch commander is cleared, Ottesen used to announce this in a solemn way over the public address system, with a written declaration to the leadership of the Navy that the person has been approved.
– When you are trusted – does that mean you are exempt from the boss’s eyes? asks the prosecutor.
– No not at all. Nevertheless, it is important that the watch commander is allowed to be on bridge nuts alone. It is important that the person concerned gets to know the crazy responsibility and that you now have no one to lean on, says Ottesen.
He compares it to newly licensed drivers who are allowed to drive alone for the first time.
QUESTION: State Attorney Magne Kvamme Sylta. Photo: Frode Hoff / TV 2
Praise today’s cadets
The ship’s commander flatly denies that the watch commander was cleared too quickly.
– I have heard that someone has argued with this, but I disagree. The cadets that have come out of the Naval Academy in the last 10 years are much better navigators than my group that graduated in the 90s.
He justifies it by the fact that the naval school has got insanely good simulators that provide more training. In addition, digitization has provided completely new opportunities for training.
– They take things faster due to the transition from paper to electronic maps, and manual to digital radar. While we were sitting and plotting with a pencil, you can now just click on radar features to get the data you need, says Ottesen.
The ship’s commander describes the life of navigators as much better, with much better cadets than before.
– I’ve heard about the pressure for clearance, but I don’t recognize it. I’m on board the boat and sleeping, and it’s pointless to clear someone I don’t trust, he says.
