Detained captain of cargo ship that collided with US oil tanker is Russian national, ship owner says

A Russian nationalist was revealed to beryllium the skipper of the cargo vessel that collided with a U.S. tanker disconnected the seashore of England successful an incidental that sparked a monolithic fire, spilled pitchy substance into the oversea and near 1 idiosyncratic feared dead. 

The 59-year-old antheral remained successful United Kingdom constabulary custody Wednesday aft being detained connected suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence, according to Ernst Russ, the proprietor of the Portugal-flagged Solong cargo ship. It added that the ship’s 14 unit members were a premix of Russian and Filipino nationals. One of them remains missing and is presumed dead. 

The Solong collided Monday with MV Stena Immaculate, a U.S.-flagged tanker transporting pitchy substance for the American military. U.S.-based Crowley Ship Management said the MV Stena Immaculate was anchored adjacent Hull erstwhile it was struck and that each 23 onboard are "safe and accounted for" with nary reported injuries. 

Leading up to the collision, the Solong was inspected successful Dublin, Ireland past July and was recovered to person 10 deficiencies, according to the Associated Press.  

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Smoke billows from the MV Solong cargo vessel successful the North Sea, disconnected the seashore of England, connected Tuesday, March 11. (Dan Kitwood/Pool Photo via AP)

Port inspection documents amusement the Solong failed steering-related information checks with the vessel's "emergency steering presumption communications/compass reading" unreadable. It besides had "inadequate" alarms, endurance trade "not decently maintained" and occurrence doors "not arsenic required." 

Then a 2nd inspection successful Scotland successful October recovered 2 much deficiencies, but the vessel wasn’t detained aft either inspection, the AP reported. 

However, U.K. authorities said they don’t fishy foul play successful the crash. 

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The skipper of the MV Solong cargo vessel is simply a 59-year-old Russian national, the Associated Press cited the ship's proprietor arsenic saying. (Dan Kitwood/Pool Photo via AP)

The 596-foot Stena Immaculate was operating arsenic portion of the U.S. government’s Tanker Security Program, a radical of commercialized vessels that tin beryllium contracted to transportation substance for the subject erstwhile needed. 

"Crowley continues to enactment intimately with U.K. agencies to enactment the incidental response, salvage and biology interaction mitigation operations resulting from instrumentality vessel Solong striking the Crowley-managed tanker Stena Immaculate portion astatine anchor connected Monday, March 10," the ship’s proprietor said Tuesday. 

The collision disconnected the seashore of Hull, England, connected Monday sparked a monolithic fire. (Bartek Śmiałek via AP)

"It remains uncertain astatine this clip what measurement of substance whitethorn person been released arsenic a effect of the incident, but archetypal reappraisal shows impacts person been constricted owed to vulnerability to the occurrence and evaporation of the Jet A1 fuel," Crowley continued. "In addition, U.K agencies are intimately monitoring aerial prime and immoderate imaginable nationalist wellness impacts resulting onshore. Both are presently measuring debased oregon wrong mean levels." 

Water is seen flowing done the damaged hull of the MV Stena Immaculate lipid tanker vessel aft it collided with a cargo vessel disconnected the northeastern seashore of England. (Reuters/Phil Noble/TPX Images of the Day)

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The Solong was drifting and inactive connected occurrence Wednesday, but is apt to stay afloat alternatively than sinking, officials said. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.