Media: UK apprehends Russian captain after container ship collision in North Sea

The captain of the Solong container ship, which collided with a tanker off the coast of England in the North Sea, has been identified as a Russian national and has been detained by the UK’s authorities.

The information was confirmed by the German Ernst Russ AG, which owns the vessel. The Solong was involved in a significant incident when it collided with the tanker, raising serious concerns over safety in the busy shipping lane, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

The ship's crew includes members from both Russia and the Philippines. On March 11, the UK’s law enforcement officials announced the detention of a 59-year-old man, identified as the captain, on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence in relation to the collision. Authorities have not yet disclosed the name of the detained individual.

An oil tanker and cargo ship collided off the East Yorkshire coast on March 10, sparking fires and leaving 32 casualties, prompting a large-scale rescue operation, emergency services reported. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency confirmed that several lifeboats and a rescue helicopter were deployed to the scene in the North Sea. Additionally, a coastguard plane and nearby vessels equipped with firefighting capabilities were sent to assist.

The RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) stated that multiple people had reportedly abandoned the ships following the crash, and fires were burning on both vessels. Three lifeboats were engaged in search and rescue efforts in conjunction with the coastguard. Footage broadcast reportedly filmed from a nearby vessel, showed thick black smoke billowing from the two ships.

The tanker involved is believed to be the US-flagged MV Stena Immaculate, a chemical and oil products carrier, which was anchored at the time of the collision after departing from Greece. The cargo ship, the Portugal-flagged container vessel Solong, was en route from Grangemouth in Scotland to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

By Naila Huseynova