Russian Captain Involved in Cargo-Military Vessel Collision off British Coast Arrested

The Solong cargo ship that crashed into the Stena Immaculate carrying US jet fuel on Monday off the British coast was captained by a 59-year-old Russian national.

The collision, which happened before 10 a.m. local time on Monday when the Stena Immaculate was anchored in the North Sea off Hull, led to flames engulfing both vessels and the jet fuel spilling into the water, though preliminary assessments suggested the environmental impact was limited as the fuel was mostly burned off and evaporated.

British Maritime Minister Mike Kane said the Stena Immaculate was carrying 220,000 barrels of jet fuel at the time of the collision.

The British police have arrested the captain on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter on Tuesday and launched a criminal investigation into the collision, according to CNN.

The Solong’s owner confirmed to CNN that the ship was captained by a Russian national and was operated by a mixed crew consisting of Russian and Filipino nationals. One out of 14 of the Solong’s crew remained missing and is presumed dead. Rescue was called off on Monday evening.

All 23 crews of the Stena Immaculate were Americans who managed to evacuate and are now in Grimsby and expected to be repatriated to the US soon.

As of Tuesday evening, the flames continue to burn aboard the Solong but are “greatly diminished” aboard the Stena Immaculate, the BBC reported, citing the British Coastguard.

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The cause of the collision is under investigation.

Martyn Boyers, the chief executive of the port of Grimsby East, told BBC that visibility was low at the time due to thick fogs in the area, which also complicated rescue efforts.

However, Boyers also told CNN that equipment onboard the Solong should have been able to alert it to the Stena Immaculate’s presence.

“It seems a mystery, really, because all the vessels now have very highly sophisticated technical equipment to plot courses and to look at any obstacles or anything they’ve got to avoid,” Boyers told CNN on Monday.

“How did that vessel [the Solong] continue plowing into the berth vessel? There must have been some warning signs. They must have been able to detect it on the radar.”