North Sea collision latest: Arrested captain revealed as Russian as environmental disaster ‘narrowly averted’

The arrested skipper of the Solong instrumentality vessel is simply a Russian national, the vessel's proprietor has said.

Humberside Police said the 59-year-old has been arrested connected suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter successful transportation with the collision successful the North Sea.

In a connection connected Wednesday morning, the unit said “a 59-year-old antheral remains successful our custody” and detectives are “continuing to behaviour extended lines of inquiry”.

The remainder of the unit were Russian and Filipino nationals, according to shipping institution Ernst Russ.

It comes arsenic campaigning radical Greenpeace said the biology catastrophe from the tanker clang has been “narrowly averted”.

Dr Paul Johnston from the Greenpeace Research Laboratories, said: “We’re not rather retired of the information portion yet, but it’s starting to look similar an biology catastrophe whitethorn person been narrowly averted.”

He added: “This incidental is simply a stark reminder of the inherent risks associated with millions of tonnes of lipid and lipid products floating successful tankers connected our oceans each and each day.

“Whether it’s aerial pollution, clime alteration oregon lipid spills, fossil fuels are a hazard multiplier wherever they are produced, utilized and recovered - the sooner we trim our dependence connected them, the better.”

Solong crashed into the tanker Stena Immaculate disconnected the eastbound seashore of Yorkshire connected Monday morning.

Key Points

• Solong vas failed information checks

• Captain of Solong is simply a Russian National

• Environmental catastrophe narrowly averted, Greenpeace warns

• MV Stena was carrying 220,000 barrels of pitchy fuel

Fears for hundreds of thousands of seabirds connected the East Yorkshire seashore aft North Sea collision

12:01 , Jabed Ahmed

North Sea collision: Fears for thousands of seabirds connected the East Yorkshire coast

Environmental catastrophe narrowly averted, Greenpeace warns

11:42 , Jabed Ahmed

Commenting connected the aftermath of the collision betwixt a tanker and a instrumentality vessel successful the North Sea, Dr Paul Johnston from the Greenpeace Research Laboratories, said: “We’re not rather retired of the information portion yet, but it’s starting to look similar an biology catastrophe whitethorn person been narrowly averted.

“When a instrumentality vessel the magnitude of a shot transportation rams into a tanker carrying thousands of tonnes of pitchy substance astatine 16 knots adjacent to delicate quality sites, the imaginable for superior harm is huge.

“In presumption of minimising immoderate further risks to marine life, the precedence should present beryllium to guarantee arsenic acold arsenic imaginable that some ships stay afloat, that nary further pitchy substance leaks from the tanker and that the cargo of the instrumentality vessel is afloat characterised and secured.

“As investigations get underway, we indispensable larn each acquisition imaginable from this incident. Ship collisions, groundings and sinkings are not uncommon. Though an incidental of this standard is rare, immoderate specified mishap has the imaginable to go an biology disaster.

“This incidental is simply a stark reminder of the inherent risks associated with millions of tonnes of lipid and lipid products floating successful tankers connected our oceans each and each day. Whether it’s aerial pollution, clime alteration oregon lipid spills, fossil fuels are a hazard multiplier wherever they are produced, utilized and recovered - the sooner we trim our dependence connected them, the better.”

Oceana UK says lipid spill threatens marine protected areas

11:29 , Jabed Ahmed

Hugo Tagholm, enforcement manager of Oceana UK, said: “This incidental is simply a shocking reminder of the ferocious polluting powerfulness of oil.

“We are seeing burning slicks, the menace of dense substance oil, and toxic chemicals leaking successful oregon adjacent not 1 but 2 marine protected areas (MPAs). Places that should beryllium harmless havens for wildlife.”

Mr Tagholm said the Southern North Sea and Holderness MPAs support declining harbour porpoises and affluent seafloor habitats, which are some highly delicate to toxic spills.

“Oil is ever an mishap waiting to hap successful our water and we are each acquainted with its devastating impacts – seabirds slick with oil, marine beingness struggling successful tarry tidelines, and a toxic bequest that tin interaction wildlife and coastal communities for years. More lipid volition ever effect successful much spills,” helium added.

“It is besides profoundly concerning that the cargo vas is reportedly carrying sodium cyanide, a severely toxic chemic that tin devastate marine wildlife if successful precocious capable concentrations. For now, we don’t cognize however much, if any, reached the h2o but we person sent an Oceana squad to the North East to show developments.”

Is determination suspected foul play?

11:20 , Jabed Ahmed

American-based maritime quality website gCaptain reported that it was told by a US authoritative successful the White House that foul play had not been ruled out.

UK transport curate Mike Kane told MPs connected Tuesday thing went “terribly wrong” for the clang to hap but that determination was “no evidence” of foul play.

A 59-year-old Russian nationalist was arrested by Humberside Police connected Tuesday connected suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.

Oil tanker Stena Immaculate was operating arsenic portion of the US government’s tanker information programme, a radical of commercialized vessels that tin beryllium contracted to transportation substance for the subject erstwhile needed.

Expert warns Hull's protected marine areas astatine hazard from lipid spill pollution

11:09 , Jabed Ahmed

Daniela Schmidt, prof of world sciences astatine the University of Bristol, said: “There are respective Marine protected areas adjacent Hull specified arsenic Flamborough Head and Holderness.

“These areas are protected owed to their affluent habitats supporting marine wildlife including fish, bivalves, crabs and birds. Around Flamborough the nesting play volition soon start.

“While the archetypal absorption is connected containing the fire, the contamination connected to the mishap has the imaginable to dispersed wide depending connected the currents and waves with the hazard of impacting these protected areas.

“Natural England and North Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority volition beryllium monitoring the organisation of the lipid movie intimately but astatine the infinitesimal it is to aboriginal to find the impacts.”

The ships progressive successful the collision

10:59 , Jabed Ahmed

Expert warns of 'devastating' effect connected marine ecosystems and wildlife

10:49 , Jabed Ahmed

Tom Brook, an water conservation specializer astatine WWF-UK, said: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this incident. While it's excessively soon to afloat recognize the impacts, we cognize that lipid spills tin person devastating and long-lasting effects connected marine ecosystems and wildlife.

“However, galore marine species, including food and dolphins apt moved distant from the country rather quickly, and the afloat biology interaction whitethorn not beryllium wide until we recognize the standard of the event.

“Unlike different lipid spills, we whitethorn not spot birds, different species, oregon habitats drenched successful oil. From the accusation available, the incidental involves pitchy fuel, which is apt to evaporate disconnected much rapidly than heavier oils. The quality to respond rapidly whitethorn besides assistance mitigate the broader biology impact, successful an different tragic situation.”

Mapped | Where did the ships collide?

10:38 , Jabed Ahmed

Watch | Extensive counter-pollution program successful spot to combat North Sea collision, coastguard says

10:28 , Jabed Ahmed

Timeline | How devastating lipid tanker clang unfolded

10:21 , Jabed Ahmed

North Sea collision timeline: How devastating lipid tanker clang unfolded

10:09 , Jabed Ahmed

Jet fuel, sodium cyanide, and burning ship: What are the biology risks aft North Sea collision?

09:57 , Jabed Ahmed

What are the biology risks aft North Sea collision?

Fuel spill from North Sea collision ‘having constricted impact’, says vessel manager

09:40 , Jabed Ahmed

A pitchy substance spill from the collision betwixt a tanker and a cargo vessel successful the North Sea has had a “limited” impact, the ship’s absorption steadfast said.

Crowley, the maritime institution managing the Stena Immaculate, said it remains unclear however overmuch Jet A1 substance was released erstwhile it was deed by the Solong, but an archetypal reappraisal shows it had evaporated owed to vulnerability to fires connected some vessels.

Crowley said Stena Immaculate was carrying 220,000 barrels of pitchy substance successful 16 segregated cargo tanks, astatine slightest 1 of which “was ruptured” erstwhile it was struck.

In an update connected Tuesday evening, the steadfast said: “It remains unclear 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.”

Dr Alex Lukyanov, researcher connected precocious mathematical models of lipid spills from the University of Reading, antecedently said the incidental was “troubling” due to the fact that it appeared to impact persistent oil, which breaks up dilatory successful water, portion helium besides suggested the “environmental toll could beryllium severe”.

East Yorkshire skipper describes ‘panic and worry’ aft North Sea collision

09:23 , Jabed Ahmed

My workfellow Lucy Leeson reports:

East Yorkshire skipper describes ‘panic’ aft North Sea collision

Solong vas failed information checks

09:02 , Jabed Ahmed

Port authorities power (PSC) inspection documents from July past twelvemonth amusement Irish officials deemed Solong’s “emergency steering presumption communications/compass reading” was “not readable”.

This was among 10 deficiencies highlighted during the inspection of the Portuguese vas successful Dublin.

Other issues see alarms being “inadequate”, endurance trade “not decently maintained”, and occurrence doors “not arsenic required”.

Another PSC inspection by Scottish authorities successful Grangemouth successful October 2024 recovered 2 deficiencies with Solong.

One of these was related to lifebuoys – designed to beryllium thrown into the h2o to forestall drowning – being “not decently marked”.

Solong was not detained aft the inspections successful Dublin oregon Grangemouth.

PSC inspections are carried retired connected ships successful ports astir the world.

They are aimed astatine verifying the information of a vas and that its instrumentality meets planetary regulations.

Captain of Solong is simply a Russian National

09:00 , Jabed Ahmed

The skipper of the Solong is simply a Russian national, the vessel's owners person said.

The remainder of the unit were Russian and Filipino nationals, according to shipping institution Ernst Russ.

Ernst Russ, which owns Solong, confirmed the vessel’s skipper had been arrested by Humberside Police connected suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter aft a unit subordinate was presumed dormant erstwhile a search-and-rescue cognition was ended connected Monday evening.

The 59-year-old antheral remains successful custody and the unit has launched a transgression probe into the origin of the crash.

Fears for hundreds of thousands of seabirds connected the East Yorkshire seashore aft North Sea collision

08:30 , Stuti Mishra

Bempton Cliffs, adjacent Bridlington successful East Yorkshire, sees astir 500,000 seabirds stitchery determination betwixt March and August to breed connected the towering achromatic cliffs that place the North Sea.

The Independent visited the wildlife site, location to puffins, gannets, kittiwakes and guillemots connected Tuesday (11 March), conscionable a time aft the collision.

Watch:

North Sea collision: Fears for thousands of seabirds connected the East Yorkshire coast

Timeline: How devastating lipid tanker clang unfolded

07:30 , Stuti Mishra

Anchored 13 miles from the coast, the US-flagged Stenna Immaculate was acceptable for a regular halt astatine the Humber Estuary larboard successful East Yorkshire.

But a “massive” vessel “came retired of the blue” connected Monday greeting and smashed into the 183-metre lipid tanker, causing an instant fireball which was inactive burning 24 hours later.

The Portuguese-flagged cargo vessel Solong, which was sailing to Rotterdam, collided with the tanker laden with 35 cardinal litres of US subject pitchy fuel.

Here's the afloat timeline:

North Sea collision timeline: How devastating lipid tanker clang unfolded

Some flames inactive disposable connected Solong's main deck

07:30 , Stuti Mishra

HM Coastguard said yesterday evening that immoderate flames were inactive disposable connected the Solong's main platform and firefighting efforts are focusing connected this area.

It said the Stena Immaculate remains astatine anchor with information tug boats and has a "greatly reduced" occurrence with nary disposable flames.

Four bare containers connected committee that "previously contained the hazardous chemical" volition "continue to beryllium monitored", said shipping steadfast Ernst Russ, which owns the Solong.

Mapped: Where did the North Sea ships collide?

06:38 , Stuti Mishra

The collision took spot connected the Humber Estuary successful East Yorkshire, with the lipid tanker astatine anchor.

Martyn Boyers, main enforcement of the Port of Grimsby East, said helium had been told determination was “a monolithic fireball” pursuing the crash.

Drifting instrumentality vessel present expected to enactment afloat, transport caput says

06:30 , Stuti Mishra

The Solong instrumentality vessel is present expected to enactment afloat, transport caput Heidi Alexander has said.

Earlier transport curate Mike Kane said the vas was expected to sink.

Ms Alexander said she was reassured by indications from the ship’s owners that the sodium cyanide containers connected committee were empty, with salvors moving to corroborate this.

"I was besides pleased to person been informed that aboriginal indications suggest that some vessels are present expected to enactment afloat and that the Solong tin beryllium towed distant from the shore, and salvage operations tin get nether way," she said.

Listen: Coastguard telephone aft lipid tanker and cargo vessel collide successful North Sea

05:49 , Stuti Mishra

In this audio, which was shared connected societal media, you tin perceive the Coastguard’s exigency telephone aft an lipid tanker and cargo vessel collided successful the North Sea disconnected the East Yorkshire coast.

Video: Extensive counter-pollution program successful spot aft North Sea collision, coastguard says

05:15 , Stuti Mishra

East Yorkshire skipper describes ‘panic and worry’ aft North Sea collision

04:45 , Stuti Mishra

It is dubbed the “Lobster Capital of Europe”, with astir 3,000 tonnes of the crustaceans landing determination each year.

Skipper proprietor Neil Robson knows conscionable however overmuch the East Yorkshire seaside municipality of Bridlington relies connected its shellfish commercialized having fished retired of the country each his beingness and his family-business, Genesis Fishing Ltd, present catching crab and lobster for the UK and planetary markets.

The 63-year-old was connected committee his vessel Genesis connected Monday erstwhile a connection came implicit the vigor of a large collision involving a cargo vessel and lipid tanker successful the North Sea.

Read more:

East Yorkshire skipper describes ‘panic’ aft North Sea collision

Expert warns of 'devastating' effect connected marine ecosystems and wildlife

04:15 , Stuti Mishra

Tom Brook, an water conservation specializer astatine WWF-UK, said: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this incident. While it's excessively soon to afloat recognize the impacts, we cognize that lipid spills tin person devastating and long-lasting effects connected marine ecosystems and wildlife.

“However, galore marine species, including food and dolphins apt moved distant from the country rather quickly, and the afloat biology interaction whitethorn not beryllium wide until we recognize the standard of the event.

“Unlike different lipid spills, we whitethorn not spot birds, different species, oregon habitats drenched successful oil. From the accusation available, the incidental involves pitchy fuel, which is apt to evaporate disconnected much rapidly than heavier oils. The quality to respond rapidly whitethorn besides assistance mitigate the broader biology impact, successful an different tragic situation.”

Ports re-open aft collision but with restrictions

03:42 , Stuti Mishra

The Humber ports of Grimsby, Immingham, Hull and Goole re-opened yesterday evening, according to the their proprietor Associated British Ports (ABP).

Restrictions stay successful spot portion the ABP "continues to enactment ongoing exigency operations," it said.

Shipping institution says interaction of substance spill ‘limited’ but afloat grade unclear

03:11 , Stuti Mishra

The afloat grade of a substance leak pursuing the North Sea tanker collision remains uncertain but Crowley, the institution managing the Stena Immaculate lipid tanker, says the archetypal interaction appears to beryllium minimal.

"It remains unclear 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," the institution said.

Full story: Cargo vessel skipper arrested aft lipid tanker collision successful North Sea arsenic experts pass coming hours are ‘critical’

02:00 , Athena Stavrou

The skipper of a cargo vas has been arrested aft a collision with an lipid tanker disconnected the East Yorkshire coast, arsenic experts pass the coming hours volition beryllium “critical” successful determining biology interaction of the crash.

Owners of the Solong instrumentality vessel confirmed its skipper had been arrested, hours aft Humberside Police said it had arrested a 59-year-old antheral connected suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter pursuing the collision betwixt the Portuguese vas and US tanker Stena Immaculate.

One unit subordinate from the Solong is inactive missing and presumed dead, aft a hunt and rescue cognition was ended connected Monday evening.

Read the afloat story:

Cargo vessel skipper arrested aft lipid tanker collision successful North Sea