UK prime minister: No signs of foul play in North Sea collision

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that there is no evidence suggesting the involvement of a third party in the recent collision between Stena Immaculate tanker and Solong container ship in the North Sea. 

Starmer addressed the issue during a press briefing, stating that initial investigations have not revealed any signs of foul play or deliberate actions behind the incident, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

"I understand that there doesn’t appear to be any suggestions of foul play at this time," the spokesman told reporters.

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