A Norwegian warship is in danger of sinking after colliding with a Maltese-registered tanker in a fjord on Thursday.

The accident triggered the temporary shutdown of a North Sea crude export terminal, Norway's top gas processing plant and several offshore fields.

The frigate, which recently took part in a major NATO military exercise, was aground and listing on one side, live television pictures showed. The Norwegian military was attempting to save the ship but some reports said the crew had to be evacuated.

"We are working on stabilising the vessel," Norwegian Navy Counter-Admiral Nils Andreas Stensoenes told a news conference, adding that the eight injured were all Navy crew. Some 137 crew were on board at the time of the accident.

"We are very glad that no lives got lost and that the injuries are not more serious than they are," he added.

Police and the national Accident Investigation Board were investigating the accident.

The tanker had left Equinor's Sture oil shipment terminal with a cargo of crude, and the facility was shut for several hours on Thursday as a result.  

There was no sign of a leak from the oil tanker, although it would return to port for inspection, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre for southern Norway told Reuters. 

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