Discover the Graand-Sud: Ratings & Maritime News

On the morning of November 8, a near-collision incident involving the bulk carrier 'Vestbris' and the tanker 'Sola TS' occurred while navigating towards Florø from Larvik, both vessels loaded with wheat. During this tense moment, the 28-year-old second mate, Oleg Kuryanov, acted swiftly to avert disaster as 'Vestbris' veered to starboard and decelerated. Noticing the tanker’s lights but failing to spot any illumination from a nearby military frigate, Kuryanov sensed an impending crisis. At approximately 4 a.m., the 'Sola TS' altered its course to starboard, which led to a significant incident just three minutes later when the tanker collided with the frigate. Prior to the collision, 'Vestbris', initially cruising at about ten knots, reduced its speed to approximately three knots to prevent an accident with the tanker and then resumed its course. Kuryanov recalled hearing VHF communications before the incident, although the conversation, conducted in Norwegian, was incomprehensible to him, and he received no prior alerts from the 'Sola TS'. It wasn't until 4:50 a.m. that a 'mayday' call in English was issued by the Fedje VTS, highlighting the critical nature of the situation.