Captain arrested after North Sea oil tanker collision sparked fireball with sailor feared dead
A 59-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter following a collision between a tanker and a cargo vessel in the North Sea, police have said.
The Stena Immaculate tanker suffered a ruptured cargo tank when it was struck by the Solong container ship off the coast of Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, at approximately 10am on Monday, causing “multiple explosions” and fires, with jet fuel released into the water. One crew member is missing and presumed dead. The other 36 crew members survived.
Humberside Police didn’t name the man, who hasn’t been charged, but Ernst Russ, which manages the Solong vessel, confirmed its captain had been detained and was co-operating with the criminal investigation. As enquiries continue, the police force said they are working alongside the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, with the Marine Accident Investigation Branch also undertaking a parallel preliminary assessment to establish the causes of the collision.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Superintendent Craig Nicholson said: “Humberside Police have taken primacy for the investigation of any potential criminal offences which arise from the collision between the two vessels. Extensive work has already been carried out, and we are working closely with our partners to understand what happened, and to provide support to all of those affected.
“Following enquiries undertaken by my team, we have arrested a 59-year-old man on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the collision, this follows the conclusion of search operations by HM Coastguard for the missing crew member of the SOLONG. Our thoughts are with the family of the missing crew member, and I have appointed Family Liaison Officers to make contact and provide support to the family.
“The man arrested remains in custody at this time whilst enquiries are underway, and we continue speaking with all those involved to establish the full circumstances of the incident.” Footage filmed from a helicopter on Tuesday morning showed the fire appeared to largely be out on the tanker, which had a large gash on its port side.
The Coastguard said this morning that “the Solong is still alight and the fire on board the Stena Immaculate has greatly diminished.” It said the cargo ship was drifting south, away from the tanker, and a 1km – around half a mile – exclusion zone had been put in place around both ships. The government said the cause of the collision was being investigated, but there was no indication of foul play.
“No sign of pollution from vessels is observed at this time,” Transport minister Mike Kane told MPs in the House of Commons. But he cautioned that it was a fast-changing situation, and said the cargo ship is likely to sink. The government said air quality readings were normal and the risk to public health onshore was “very low”.
The 183m (600ft) Stena Immaculate was operating as part of the US government’s Tanker Security Program, a group of commercial vessels that can be contracted to carry fuel for the military when needed. Its operator, US-based maritime management firm Crowley, said that it was carrying 220,000 barrels of Jet-A1 fuel in 16 tanks, at least one of which was ruptured.
The company said that it was unclear how much fuel had leaked into the sea. The owner of the Solong, shipping company Ernst Russ, said that contrary to earlier reports, the vessel wasn’t carrying containers of sodium cyanide, which can produce harmful gas when combined with water. It said that four empty containers had previously contained the chemical.
“Our team is actively engaged with all local authorities, and we will work with cleanup teams to ensure every effort is made to mitigate further impacts on the marine environment,” the company said in a statement. Greenpeace UK said that it was too early to assess the extent of any environmental damage from the collision, which took place near busy fishing grounds and major seabird colonies.
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