Fire on tanker out after North Sea collision

The captain of the Solong cargo ship arrested after a collision with a tanker in the North Sea is a Russian national, the ship’s owner has confirmed.

Humberside Police said the 59-year-old man remained in custody after being arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter on Tuesday.

The Portuguese-flagged Solong and the US-registered tanker Stena Immaculate crashed off the East Yorkshire coast at about 10:00 GMT on Monday.

A missing crew member from the cargo ship is presumed dead after a search and rescue operation was called off late on Monday.

Humberside Police said it had begun a criminal investigation into the cause of the collision and was working with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

“Detectives are continuing to conduct extensive lines of enquiry alongside partners in connection with the collision,” the force said.

Both ships caught fire after the collision triggering a major response from emergency services.

Virginia McVea, chief executive of Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said: “There have been no further reports of pollution to the sea from either vessel beyond what was observed during the initial incident.”

HM Coastguard said 36 people had been rescued and taken safely to shore.

Grimsby-based Windcat, which provides support to offshore wind farms, assisted in the rescue operation.

The company said it had two ships in the area at the time.

“Both vessels were called to assist in the rescue operation,” a spokesperson said.

“They immediately responded and they brought around 17 people involved to safety ashore.”

Ms McVea said the Solong was “being held in a safe position offshore by a tug”.

“The Stena Immaculate remains at anchor, with safety tugs in position should they be required. There are no visible flames on board and an on-board assessment may be carried out later today,” she added.

Ms McVea said the agency was working with salvage companies hired by the two ship owners “to protect the public and the environment to the best of our ability, during this ongoing incident response”.

Whitehall sources have told the BBC there were Russians and Filipinos among the crew of the Solong.

It is quite common for the global shipping industry to use crews from these two countries.

The BBC understands all of the crew on board the Stena Immaculate are Americans who are currently in Grimsby and will be repatriated in due course.

The Stena Immaculate was carrying 220,000 barrels of aviation fuel to be used by the US military.

Its co-owners, Florida-based Crowley, said it had been at anchor waiting for a berth to become available at the Port of Killingholme on the Humber Estuary.

The firm added the crash had caused “multiple explosions” on board and an unknown quantity of jet fuel to be released.