For more details on the reporting requirement, please refer to the Regulations on the obligation to notify and report marine accidents and other incidents at sea.
When a ship or mobile offshore unit has suffered casualty, damage or has deficiencies that require supervision, a request for supervision must be submitted as soon as possible.
For vessels that are subject to inspection by approved companies, the approved company must be contacted for supervision following casualty, damage or deficiency requiring supervision.
Who should notify?
- All Norwegian ships
- Foreign ships after incidents in Norwegian territorial waters – including the territorial waters surrounding Svalbard and Jan Mayen and the Norwegian Economic Zone
- Ro-ro ferries and high-speed passenger craft operating to or from Norwegian ports to ports of EEA countries on a regular service when marine accidents occur outside Norway's territorial waters when Norway is the last EEA country the ship visited before the accident
- All companies or ships affected by cyber attacks where there is a risk of spreading or affecting the operation and safety of vessels
- Companies with ships engaged on international voyages on board which there has been an ISPS security incident
When should a notification be made?
The master or company must, without delay, give an oral notification in the event of:
- ship accidents involving fire, explosion, grounding, collision or similar;
- significant injury or damage to person or vessel;
- work accidents requiring evacuation of the damaged person;
- personal injuries or material damage caused by electricity;
- discharge or probable discharge of oil or hazardous substances;
- loss of ship or life;
- deliberate unwanted actions such as cyber attacks, sabotage, piracy or other breaches of the ISPS security, even if the incident is not concidered a marine accident; and
- occupational disease.
The notification requriement also applies when external personnel carrying out work on board a vessel is involved in an accident on board.
Inspection following casualty or damage
When a ship or mobile offshore unit has suffered casualty, damage or has deficiencies that require supervision, a request for supervision must be submitted as soon as possible.
Vessels that are subject to inspection by approved companies should contact the approved company for supervision following casualty, damage or deficiency requiring supervision.
When the supervisory authority has been delegated to a recognised classification society, a separate request must be directed to the classification society.
What is the reporting deadline?
The report must be submitted to the NMA using the prescribed form within 72 hours of the incident.
The duty to report is described in the guidance note for notification and reporting in the column to the righ on this site.
The duty ro report applies whether or not a notification of the accident has been given.
There are separate reporting forms for cyber attacks and ISPS incidents.
Near-misses must also be reported
Passenger ship incidents which have caused an immediate risk of loss of life or grounding or considerable damage to the environment must be reported to the Norwegian Maritime Authority using the prescribed form within 72 hours of the incident.
Furthermore, the Norwegian Maritime Authority would like you to report serious near-misses involving vessels other than passenger ships.
Information on near-misses will be used to improve safety at sea.
We would like you to report deliberate unwanted actions which could have had consequences or where the scope is uncertain.
This information will be used for training purposes.
Where do I find the reporting form?
If there is no need for assistance, the notification must be given to the Norwegian Maritime Authority's emergency telephone: +47 52 74 50 00 (open 24 hours a day).
Use the form KS-0197 to report accidents and near-misses.
You may choose whether to report electronically via Altinn (this requires login) or using a PDF form which can be downloaded.
Cyber attacks and ISPS security incidents must be reported using the form found on the right on this website.
Injuries or material damage caused by electricity must be reported as quickly as possible to the Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB).
You can read more about reporting requirements on the DSB's website. Here you can also find the applicable forms.
If you need assistance, please refer to the overview below.
Reporting a personal injury to the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV)
Personal injuries must be reported to NAV.
You can find the relevant forms on NAV's website.
The duty to report to NAV applies to Norwegian and foreign citizens working on ships registered in the Norwegian Ordinary Ship Register (NOR). It also applies to Norwegian and foreign citizens living in Norway and employed on ships registered in the Norwegian International Ship Register (NIS).
The same applies to citizens of an EEA country, as well as foreign citizens not living in Norway who pay a National Insurance contribution in Norway.
Fatalities on board
If a Norwegian citizen dies on board a ship abroad, the guidelines of the Norwegian Tax Administration apply.
A Norwegian foreign service mission must be contacted (the embassy or consulate of the country where the person died), which must send the death certificate to the Norwegian Tax Administration.
Subsequently, the death is registered in the National Population Register. If the diseased was registered as living in Norway, the Norwegian Tax Administration will forward the death certificate to the District Court where the person was registered.
In cases of natural death involving foreign passengers, there is no duty to report to Norwegian authorities.
Notification in case of acute pollution
Who do you notify?
- The Norwegian rescue services or the closest coastal radio station must be notified in cases of acute pollution or risk of acute pollution from vessels.
- The Norwegian rescue services and the Norwegian Petroleum Safety Authority must be notified in cases of acute pollution or risk of acute pollution from operations on the Norwegian continental shelf by companies in the petroleum industry.
- The Norwegian Coastal Administration can make a system for further notification.
- The fire departement must be notified in cases of acute pollution or risk of acute pollution from shore-based operations.
When you need assistance
When you need assistance or there is a risk of discharge
Notify the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre or a coastal radio station if you need assistance or there is a risk of discharge.
When there is a recreational craft accident
For recreational craft accidents you may notify the police instead of the above-mentioned bodies.
When there is discharge or a risk of discharge outside Norwegian territorial waters
For discharge or risk of discharge outside Norwegian territorial wateres, you must contact the closest coastal state.