Captain of Solong ship that rammed US tanker carrying US jet fuel in North Sea is Russian

The German owner of cargo ship MV Solong, Ernst Rus of Germany, has identified the captain of the vessel as a Russian national.

MV Solong rammed into US oil tanker Stena Immaculate carrying aviation fuel at around 9 am on Monday in the North Sea in British waters. The ship was anchoring when MV Solong rammed into it at full speed while going from Scottish port of Grangemouth to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

The British police have arrested the captain of the ship, who has not been named, and have opened an investigation of negligence and manslaughter.

The collision comes at a time when Russia has stepped up maritime aggression against Europe lately, particularly after the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia uses ‘shadow fleet’ of second-hand ships purchased opaquely for such aggressions, which ranges from harassing European nations in international waters and damaging underwater communication and power cables.

‘The ship came from out of the blue’

A crew member of Stena Immaculate told The Sun that MV Solong “came from out of the blue” and struck their ship.

The newspaper has reported there were roars to brace for impact as MV Solong was seen coming towards Stena Immaculate.

Except for one sailor of MV Solong, who has been presumed dead, all crew members of the ships have been rescued by emergency services.

ALSO READ: North Sea tanker-cargo ship collision sparks fire, toxic spill: Could this be an environmental disaster?

Another crew member described the accident: “It would be like if you were sitting in a car lot on Sunday morning, reading a newspaper or playing with your phone and a car enters on the other side.”

Negligence, manslaughter investigations launched

The Humberside Police and Marine Accident Investigation Branch have launched investigations into the collision.

While the police did not name the arrested captain or confirm his nationality, they said he is 59-year-old.

Detective Chief Superintendent Craig Nicholson said that the Humberside Police has taken the lead in the investigation “of any potential criminal offences which arise from the collision between the two vessels”, according to The Sun.

Nicholson further said, “Extensive work has already been carried out and we are working closely with our partners to understand what happened, and to provide support to all of those affected.

“Following inquiries undertaken by my team, we have arrested a 59-year-old man on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the collision, this follows the conclusion of search operations by HM Coastguard for the missing crew member of the Solong.

“Our thoughts are with the family of the missing crew member and I have appointed family liaison officers to make contact and provide support to the family.

“The man arrested remains in custody at this time whilst inquiries are under way and we continue speaking with all those involved to establish the full circumstances of the incident.”

Separately, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch will also probe whether human error was involved in the collision.