LONDON – The captain of a ship that hit a U.S. tanker off northeast England is a Russian national, the company which owns the vessel said, as police continued their inquiries into the accident and fears over the environmental impact of the crash eased.
The Solong container ship crashed into the Stena Immaculate, a tanker carrying jet fuel for the U.S. military, on Monday. A day later, British police arrested Solong’s captain on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
Police said the 59-year-old remained in custody while detectives conduct inquiries into what happened alongside other authorities.
Ernst Russ, the German company that owned the Portuguese-flagged Solong, confirmed on Wednesday that the captain was Russian. The rest of the 14-strong crew, one of whom is missing and presumed dead, was a mix of Russian and Filipino nationals.
The Russian embassy in London did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Monday’s crash caused huge fires and explosions and leaked fuel into the sea, prompting worries over the impact on the environment and protected bird colonies, but the coastguard said on Wednesday that there had been no further reports of pollution from either vessel since then.
Fires onboard the Solong, which was being held in position by a tug, have greatly reduced, while there were no visible flames seen at the Stena Immaculate, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said.
“Salvors will only board the vessels when it is safe to do so. Only then will it be possible to carry out comprehensive damage assessments,” the statement added.
The Stena Immaculate was at anchor when it was struck by the smaller Solong, leading to speculation about the cause of the crash. The spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said there was no suggestion of “foul play”.
The operators of the vessels and maritime authorities have yet to offer an explanation of why multiple safety systems on board modern vessels failed to prevent the collision.
The 23-strong crew who were onboard the Stena Immaculate were all evacuated safely. They were reported to be Americans.
Russians account for an estimated 11% of the global seafarer workforce, according to shipping officials.
Maritime safety records suggest that the Solong had some minor issues when it was inspected last year, but none were deemed as grounds for detaining the vessel.
“Ernst Russ confirms that all deficiencies that were detected during routine port state control inspections of the Solong back in 2024 were promptly rectified,” the company said in a statement.
While Britain’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch will gather initial evidence, overall responsibility for investigating the crash lies with the U.S. and Portuguese authorities, the flag states of the vessels. REUTERS
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