Portugal Colonial - Captain of cargo ship in North Sea crash is Russian: vessel owner

UK police arrested a man after the Solong cargo ship, owned by Ernst Russ, slammed into the US-flagged Stena Immaculate on Monday, leaving one crew member missing presumed dead.

"Ernst Russ confirms that the master is a Russian national," the company said in a statement to AFP. "The rest of the crew are a mix of Russian and Filipino nationals."

The confirmation comes after local police arrested a 59-year-old man on Tuesday on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the incident, which took place off the northeast coast of England.

Ernst Russ said the man detained by Humberside police was the captain of the Portuguese-flagged Solong.

Early on Monday, the Solong ploughed into the Stena Immaculate, anchored about 13 miles (20 kilometres) off the northeastern port of Hull, setting both vessels alight.

The incident resulted in jet fuel from the tanker leaking into the North Sea, sparking concerns for the surrounding environment and wildlife, as well as questions about how it happened.

While the fire on the tanker had "greatly diminished with no visible flames" by Tuesday evening, according to its US-based operator Crowley, the volume of jet fuel released into the sea remained "uncertain".

"Initial review shows impacts have been limited due to exposure to the fire and evaporation of the Jet A1 fuel," Crowley said in a statement.

- Missing presumed dead -

The UK Coastguard, which led the operation, rescued 36 people on Monday, including all of the 23 crew on the Stena Immaculate tanker, which had been chartered by the US military.

But a missing member of the Solong vessel crew was presumed dead, UK under-secretary for transport Mike Kane told parliament.

"Whether there was foul play, I think is speculation," he said of the crash. "There is no evidence to suggest that, at the moment."

The Stena Immaculate was on a short-term US military charter with Military Sealift Command, according to a spokesperson for the command, which operates civilian-crewed ships for the US Defense Department.

According to data collected by website VesselFinder, the impact of the crash displaced the tanker by "more than 400 metres".

It was one of 10 deficiencies noted in the inspection carried out when the ship visited Dublin in July 2024.

UK agencies have been at the North Sea to probe air quality and environmental impacts, and investigations have started into how the cargo ship hit the tanker.

F.Moura--PC