Everything you need to know about North Sea cargo ship and tanker collision - as man arrested and missing sailor presumed dead
In the North Sea, a US-flagged oil tanker called the Stena Immaculate and the Solong - a container ship sailing under a Portuguese flag - collided and burst into flames. Here's everything we know about the crash and casualties.
Wednesday 12 March 2025 09:29, UK
An oil tanker and cargo ship collided in the North Sea off the coast of East Yorkshire on Monday morning, forcing crew members to abandon ship.
Both vessels burst into flames after the crash about 13 miles from the coast. The fire on the tanker continued to burn overnight into Tuesday.
One crew member who was on the Solong container ship is presumed dead after a search and rescue mission for him was called off on Monday night.
A 59-year-old man, who is the captain of the Solong cargo ship and a Russian national, has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the collision.
Here is everything you need to know.
What we know about the collision
The collision involved a US-flagged oil tanker called the Stena Immaculate and the Solong - a container ship sailing under a Portuguese flag.
The alarm was first raised at 9.48am, before HM Coastguard tasked a number of lifeboats to support its response at 10.20am.
Authorities said reports came in of a "massive fireball" after the incident, and images of the aftermath show both ships on fire and billowing smoke.
Ship tracking website VesselFinder shows the tanker had departed from a port in the Peloponnese region of Greece and was heading towards Hull, while Solong was sailing to Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
According to data, the Stena Immaculate was seemingly stationary as the Solong sailed towards it.
In audio released following the incident, the coastguard requesting emergency services says the Solong collided with the tanker.
Crowley, the maritime company managing Stena Immaculate, said it was carrying 220,000 barrels of jet fuel in 16 segregated cargo tanks, at least one of which "was ruptured" when it was struck.
The tanker was operating as part of the US government's tanker security programme, a group of commercial vessels that can be contracted to carry fuel for the military when needed.
Crowley said it had been anchored while waiting for a berth to become available at the Port of Killingholme, on the River Humber.
Ernst Russ, the owners of the Solong, said that there were no containers of sodium cyanide onboard, after concerns that the highly toxic compound was still on the container ship.
"We are able to confirm that there are no containers on board ladened with sodium cyanide, as has been misreported. There are four empty containers that have previously contained the hazardous chemical, and these containers will continue to be monitored," the company said.
"We extend our deepest sympathy to the family of the missing crew member, mindful that the search has been called off. Our first thoughts must be with them at this uncertain and distressing time."
A salvage plan for both boats was being developed on Wednesday, as the clean-up efforts entered a third day.
How many casualties are there?
Thirty-six people were brought ashore after the collision and one was taken to hospital.
One crew member of the Solong container ship remains missing. Aviation, maritime, and security minister Mike Kane told MPs in the Commons that the sailor is presumed dead.
"Our working assumption is that, very sadly, the sailor is deceased," he said.
Crew members from the Stena Immaculate told Sky News' chief North of England correspondent, Greg Milam, that it had been a "hell of a time".
One said: "I'm just fine. I've been doing this for 40 years. I'm just keen to get back on another ship."
A third added: "But the crew's all fine, thanks. Godspeed."
What could have caused the collision?
The cause of the collision remains unknown.
On Tuesday, a 59-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the collision.
Ernst Russ, the owner of Solong, confirmed the man detained was the ship's captain. The shipping firm called him "the master of the ship" - which is understood to be the same as a captain.
The company later said the arrested captain is a Russian national.
Detective Chief Superintendent Craig Nicholson, from Humberside Police, said the force has launched a criminal investigation, adding that "extensive work" has already been carried out.
The arrested man remains in custody, the force added.
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch said it had deployed a team to Grimsby to conduct a preliminary assessment to "determine our next steps".
Ernst Russ added that its team was "actively engaged" with all local authorities and will assist with investigations.
Speaking before the arrest of the captain, Martin Boyers, chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East, told Sky News he suspected autopilot may have led to the crash.
After being asked about tracking system showing the Solong heading for the seemingly stationary Stena Immaculate before the collision, he said: "One of them was at anchor and the other would have set a course.
"They have a thing called autopilot, and that's what I would suspect has been the issue.
"If it's been put on autopilot and there's no one on the bridge, which could happen, then it'd just go straight on.
"Autopilot just steers a course, they don't deviate, there's no bend in the sea. They just go straight for miles, hundreds of miles, and it would've gone in a straight direction.
"It's difficult to understand what happened, or why it happened."
He added there would have been alarms on the bridge, which raised even more questions about how the collision unfolded.
Potential harm 'can be enormous'
Environmental experts have shared their concern over the reported oil spill, with Greenpeace UK releasing a statement saying it was monitoring the situation.
HM Coastguard said in a statement its counter pollution and salvage team is also "developing a plan ready for implementation as soon as the situation allows".
Assistant chief coastguard John Craig added: "The threat from the previously identified dangerous goods on board has reduced significantly. Air quality sampling onshore has shown no toxins, and modelling from the Met Office indicates no threat to the public."
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs also confirmed that air quality at ground level is "currently within normal levels for the weather conditions", and the UK Health Security Agency has advised that any public health risk on shore is "currently deemed to be very low".
In an update on Tuesday evening, maritime company Crowley said after an initial review, the impacts of the fuel spillage and fire, "have been limited".
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Helen Jay, the National Trust's senior national consultant for coast, said earlier in the week that teams were keeping a lookout along the northeast and east of England coastline for visible signs of pollution affecting seabirds, sea life and the coast itself.
"Any pollution incident can have a devastating impact on our wildlife and this is a vital time for many migratory birds as they return to our shores for the breeding season such as puffins, terns and gannets as well as marine life including seals, dolphins, fish and harbour porpoise," she said.
Mike Childs, head of science, policy and research at Friends of the Earth, added that while tanker accidents are rare around the British coast, the potential harm "can be enormous".