7 hours ago
2
The captain of the Solong - the container ship involved in the crash in the North Sea - is a Russian national, the vessel's owner has said.
The rest of the crew were Russian and Filipino nationals, according to shipping company Ernst Russ.
It comes after police said a man had been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with Monday's collision.
Humberside Police said a 59-year-old is in custody to allow enquiries to take place, and officers are talking to those involved to find out what happened.
The force added investigators have started a criminal probe into the cause of the collision between the Stena Immaculate and Solong off the coast of East Yorkshire on Monday, and are working with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
The tanker was operating as part of the US government's tanker security programme, a group of commercial vessels that can be contracted to carry fuel for the military when needed.
Ship tracking software showed the Stena Immaculate was stationary as the Solong crashed into it.
One missing, presumed dead
One person remains missing and is presumed dead.
In the immediate aftermath of the collision, dozens of people were forced to abandon the vessels as they caught fire.
The Stena Immaculate had been carrying 220,000 barrels of jet fuel in 16 segregated cargo tanks - at least one of which "was ruptured" during the collision, Crowley, the maritime company managing the Stena Immaculate, said.
It added that the
Coastguard rescued 36 people, with ambulances lining up at a nearby port as emergency services readied their response.
All 23 people on board the oil tanker Stena Immaculate were accounted for, but one of the 14 crew members of the Solong is still missing.
A search was called off Monday evening.
Spreaker This content is provided by Spreaker, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Spreaker cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options. Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Spreaker cookies. To view this content you can use the button below to allow Spreaker cookies for this session only.
👉 Listen to Sky News Daily on your podcast app 👈
Solong failed safety checks
It has also emerged that the Solong failed steering-related safety checks last year.
Port state control (PSC) inspection documents from July last year show how officials warned that the cargo ship's "emergency steering position communications/compass reading" was "not readable".
It was among 10 issues highlighted during an inspection of the Portuguese-flagged ship.
Other issues included the alarms being "inadequate", survival craft not being properly maintained and fire doors "not as required".
Another inspection in October 2024 found two issues with the Solong.
One of these was related to lifebuoys, warning they were "not properly marked".
None of the issues were severe enough to stop the Solong from sailing.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
English (US) · 