Newly obtained video footage reveals the moment container ship Solong crashed into US oil tanker Stena Immaculate off the coast of East Yorkshire on Monday morning.

The tanker was carrying Jet-A1 fuel for the US Navy as part of a United States government programme designed to supply American armed forces with fuel when required, a military spokesman told Reuters.

On Monday, maritime security sources said there was no indication of any malicious activity or other actors involved in the incident and UK authorities have also said they have so far found no evidence of foul play.

The Solong’s captain was arrested and the vessel’s owner has said he is a Russian national.

Humberside Police arrested the 59-year-old on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter on Tuesday.

The rest of the crew were Russian and Filipino nationals, according to German shipping company Ernst Russ.

Humberside Police said investigators have started a criminal probe into the cause of the collision and are working with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Humberside detectives are working with the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch, and it’s been reported that authorities from the US and Portugal will lead the investigation into what happened.

The Stena Immaculate was stationary and at anchor on the River Humber when it was struck by the smaller Solong, causing huge fires and explosions – with smoke visible from space.

It was initially feared the Solong was carrying sodium cyanide but its German owner Ernst Russ said four containers on the vessel had previously held the hazardous chemical, but there was none on board at the time of the crash.

One missing, presumed dead

One person, a crew member on the Solong, remains missing after the crash and is presumed dead.

The Coastguard rescued 36 people after the alarm was raised at 9.48am on Monday after both vessels caught fire.

The owner of Stena Immaculate, Stena Bulk, said on Wednesday the 23 members of its crew were all American and in “good health”.

Solong failed safety checks

It has emerged that the Solong failed steering-related safety checks last year.

Inspection documents from July show officials warned the ship’s “emergency steering position communications/compass reading” was “not readable”.

It was among 10 issues highlighted during an inspection by Irish officials.

Other issues included the alarms being “inadequate”, survival craft not being properly maintained and fire doors “not as required”.

Another inspection, this time in Scotland in October 2024, found two issues with the Solong, with one relating to lifebuoys warning they were “not properly marked”.

Ernst Russ said “all deficiencies that were detected during routine port state control inspections of the Solong back in 2024 were promptly rectified”.

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Environmental impact not as severe as initially feared

The Stena Immaculate was carrying 220,000 barrels of jet fuel in 16 segregated cargo tanks – at least one of which was “ruptured” during the collision, shipping company Crowley said.

But it said the jet fuel spill was having a “limited” impact.

The potential environmental impact seems to be less severe than initially feared.

Most of the spilt jet fuel has evaporated or burned off, Crowley said in a post on X. There seems to have been no loss of engine fuel from either vessel and both are expected to remain afloat despite a gaping hole in the side of the Stena Immaculate and earlier fears the Solong would sink.

There are no visible flames on either ship, and the Solong, which was drifting, has now been secured by tugs.

Donald Trump’s steel and aluminium tariffs have come into effect.

But what are they and what do they mean for the UK?

What are tariffs and why does Trump want to impose them?

Tariffs are taxes on goods imported into the US.

The US president wants to impose wide-ranging tariffs on nearest neighbours Mexico and Canada, which he says will help reduce illegal migration and the smuggling of the synthetic opioid fentanyl to the US.

However, most of the 25% duties imposed on the pair to date have been suspended until 2 April.

But two rounds of tariffs on China have been enacted – reflecting trade imbalances and Mr Trump’s battle against fentanyl.

So why is he now targeting steel and aluminium?

On Wednesday, a separate 25% tariff on all steel and aluminium imports to the US came into effect, affecting UK products worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

The steel and aluminium tariffs are designed to protect US manufacturing and bolster jobs by making foreign-made products less attractive.

The world’s largest economy relies on imports of steel and aluminium and Mr Trump wants to change that.

How have countries – including the UK – reacted?

The European Union has announced it will impose retaliatory tariffs on the US.

The European Commission said it will impose “countermeasures” affecting €26bn (£21.9bn) of US goods from 1 April after US tariffs on steel and aluminium came into force today.

The bloc’s tariffs will not only impact US steel and aluminium products, but also textiles, home appliances and agricultural goods.

Canada has announced 25% retaliatory tariffs on US goods worth C$29.8bn (£16bn) from tomorrow, its country’s finance minister has said.

The tariffs will include steel products worth C$12.6bn (£6.8bn) and aluminium products worth C$3bn (£1.6bn).

Computers, sports equipment and cast iron goods are also among the other products subject to the new retaliatory tariffs.

Announcing the tariffs, Canada’s foreign minister, Melanie Joly, added that Canada will raise the issues of tariffs with European allies to coordinate a response to put pressure on the US.

While UK industry sees it as a direct attack, the reality is that this country is not a major player any more because energy costs, in particular, mean that UK-produced steel is expensive.

Nevertheless, stainless steel and some high-end products from the UK are in high demand and account for the bulk of the £350m in annual exports to the US.

Sir Keir Starmer has said he is “disappointed” to see Mr Trump impose global tariffs on steel and aluminium, saying the UK will take a “pragmatic approach” and “all options are on the table”.

The business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said on Wednesday morning that while he was disappointed, there would be no immediate retaliation by the UK government as negotiations continue over a wider trade deal with the US.

Why will metal products become more expensive?

It stands to reason that if you slap additional costs on importers in the US, that cost will be passed on down the supply chain to the end user.

If the aluminium to make soft drinks cans costs 25% more, for example, then the hit will have to be felt somewhere.

It could mean that any US product involving steel or aluminium goes up in price, but hikes could be limited if companies decide to take some of the burden in their bottom lines.

Read more on tariffs:
It may be harder for the UK to trump metals tariffs this time round
‘Canadianos’ and cancelled Vegas trips: How Canadians are acting with defiance

What are the prospects for higher prices?

It depends on the extent to which costs are passed down through the supply chain as new tariff regimes and any reciprocal tariffs are deployed.

We do know that Mr Trump plans to fully roll out duties, on all goods, against Mexico and Canada from 2 April. But the White House did row back on a threat to double Canada’s tariff on its steel and aluminium – the biggest exporter – to 50%.

But Mr Trump is also widely expected to target almost all imports from the European Union from the beginning of April.

Is the UK facing further tariffs?

Mr Trump has not explicitly said that the UK is in his sights.

Data shows no great trade imbalances – the gap between what you import and export from a certain country – and UK figures show no trade deficit with the United States.

UK ministers have previously suggested this could be good news for avoiding new levies.

Why tariffs could cost you – even if Trump spares UK

Even if no tariffs are put on all UK exports to the US, consumers globally will still be impacted by the wider trade war, particularly in the US.

Economists believe that tariffs will raise costs in the US, sparking a wave of inflation that will keep interest rates higher for longer. The US central bank, the Federal Reserve, is mandated to act to bring inflation down.

More expensive borrowing and costlier goods and services could bring about an economic downturn in the US and have knock-on effects in the UK.

Forecasts from the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) predict lower UK economic growth due to higher global interest rates.

It has estimated that UK GDP (a measure of everything produced in the economy) could be between 2.5% and 3% lower over five years and 0.7% lower this year.

The Centre for Inclusive Trade Policy thinktank said a 20% across-the-board tariff, impacting the UK, could lead to a £22bn reduction in the UK’s US exports, with the hardest-hit sectors including fishing and mining.

Sir Keir Starmer has said he is “disappointed” to see Donald Trump impose global tariffs on steel and aluminium.

In his first remarks since the American president imposed the levy, the prime minister said the UK will take a “pragmatic approach” as it seeks an economic trade deal with the US and “all options are on the table”.

Politics Live: EU to impose counter tariffs on €26bn of US goods

Sir Keir was responding to a question from Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, who called on the government to be more “robust” with Mr Trump.

The prime minister said: “Obviously, like everybody else, I’m disappointed to see global tariffs in relation to steel and aluminium.

“But we will take a pragmatic approach. We are, as he knows, negotiating an economic deal which covers and will include tariffs if we succeed. But we will keep all options on the table.”

Asked if he will fly out to Canada to stand with it “against Trump’s threats”, given it has borne the brunt of Mr Trump’s trade war, Sir Keir said the country is “an important ally” but did not commit to a visit.

The global tariffs came into effect at midnight in the US, around 4am UK time, imposing a flat duty on steel and aluminium entering America of 25%.

The move is designed to protect US manufacturing and bolster jobs by making foreign-made products less attractive.

It is a threat to UK steel exports – worth more than £350m annually, with the bulk of that coming from stainless steel.

The tariffs also risk making the cost of things from cars to soft drink cans, and therefore some drinks, more expensive.

Canada is the biggest exporter of both steel and aluminium to America. However, the White House on Tuesday rowed back on a threat to double the levy to 50%, after the provincial government of Ontario halted a plan to charge 25% more for electricity it supplies to over 1.5 million US homes and businesses.

Some countries have already retaliated, with the EU announcing €26bn-worth of counter tariffs on US goods, starting from 1 April.

However, Treasury minister James Murray warned earlier today against a “knee jerk” response.

He told Wilfred Frost on Sky News Breakfast : “We’re in a very different position than the EU, as a result of the prime minister’s trip to Washington last month.

“The UK and the US have been negotiating rapidly for an economic agreement, and so we’re in a position where that negotiation is ongoing and these global tariffs have landed in the middle of that work.”

Sir Keir was widely praised following a successful trip to Washington in February, during which Mr Trump said there was a “very good chance” of a trade deal with the UK that would not involve tariffs.

Money blog: World retaliates against Trump tariffs

It sparked hopes the UK could be exempt from future levies being planned by the US president.

Speaking to journalists after Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir’s official spokesperson denied being snubbed, saying “obviously these are global tariffs, not targeted at the UK”.

Asked whether the economic deal planned between the US and UK would cover steel and aluminium, the spokesman said he was “not going to get ahead of those discussions”.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds will discuss the deal in Washington DC next week, which the government has previously suggested will be focused mainly on technology co-operation.

Making “progress” on that deal will be the aim of those discussions, the PM’s spokesperson said, adding that the steel industry “has been clear” they don’t want to engage in an escalating trade war with the US.