Under arrest captain of Solong container ship involved in North Sea crash is Russian national, company says
The arrested captain of the Solong – the container ship involved in the crash in the North Sea – is a Russian national, the vessel’s owner has said.
The rest of the crew were Russian and Filipino nationals, according to German shipping company Ernst Russ.
It comes after police said a man had been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with Monday’s collision.
Humberside Police said a 59-year-old is in custody to allow enquiries to take place, and officers are talking to those involved to find out what happened.
The force added investigators have started a criminal probe into the cause of the collision between the US-registered Stena Immaculate and the Portuguese-flagged Solong about 13 miles off the coast of East Yorkshire on Monday, and are working with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
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 told Reuters 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 in the crash.
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, operated by US firm Crowley, was stationary and at anchor while waiting for a berth to become available at the Port of Killingholme, on the River Humber, when it was struck by the smaller Solong, causing huge fires and explosions – the smoke from which was visible from space.
The Solong had been sailing from Grangemouth in Scotland to Rotterdam in the Netherlands at the time. It was initially feared it was carrying sodium cyanide but the German owner Ernst Russ said four containers on the vessel had previously been carrying the chemical.
Pic: AP/Dan Kitwood/Pool
The Solong after the collision.
Pic: AP/Dan Kitwood/Pool
One missing, presumed dead
One person remains missing and is presumed dead.
In the immediate aftermath of the collision, dozens of people were forced to abandon the vessels as they caught fire.
Coastguard rescued 36 people after the alarm was raised at 9.48am on Monday, with ambulances lining up at a nearby port as emergency services readied their response.
All 23 people on board the oil tanker Stena Immaculate were accounted for, but one of the 14 crew members of the Solong is still missing.
A search for them was called off Monday evening.
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Solong failed safety checks
It has emerged that the Solong failed steering-related safety checks last year.
Port state control (PSC) inspection documents from July last year show how officials warned that the ship’s “emergency steering position communications/compass reading” was “not readable”.
It was among 10 issues highlighted during an inspection by Irish officials.
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How did ships collide in the North Sea?
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.
One of these was related to lifebuoys, warning they were “not properly marked”.
PSC inspections, which are carried out around the world, aim to verify that a vessel’s condition and equipment meet international regulations.
Environmental impact not as severe as initially feared
The Stena Immaculate had been 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 added that the jet fuel spill was having a “limited” impact.
The potential environmental impact seems to be less severe than initially feared.
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Most of the spilt jet fuel has evaporated or burned off, Crowley said in an X post. 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.
The chief executive for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), Virginia McVea, said on Wednesday morning: “There have been no further reports of pollution to the sea from either vessel beyond what was observed during the initial incident. HM Coastguard’s counter pollution and salvage team has a comprehensive counter pollution response in place should it be required. Salvors also have equipment and personnel ready to respond to any pollution.
“The overarching objective is to protect the public and the environment to the best of our ability, during this ongoing incident response.
“This morning’s assessment shows the fires on board the [Solong] have greatly reduced in their extent and intensity.
“The Stena Immaculate remains at anchor, with safety tugs in position should they be required. There are no visible flames on board and an on-board assessment may be carried out later today.
“Salvors will only board the vessels when it is safe to do so. Only then will it be possible to carry out comprehensive damage assessments.”
World
Trump criticises Putin after potentially ‘historic’ meeting with Zelenskyy before Pope’s funeral
Donald Trump has criticised Vladimir Putin and suggested a shift in his stance towards the Russian president after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the Pope’s funeral.
The Ukrainian president said the one-on-one talks could prove to be “historic” after pictures showed him sitting opposite Mr Trump, around two feet apart, in the large marble hall inside St Peter’s Basilica.
The US president said he doubted his Russian counterpart’s willingness to end the war after leaving Rome after the funeral of Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Follow live updates: 200,000 mourn at Vatican
In a post on his Truth Social platform, he said “there was no reason” for the Russian president “to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days”.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
He added: “It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!”
The meeting between the US and Ukrainian leaders was their first face-to-face encounter since a very public row in the Oval Office in February.
Mr Zelenskyy said he had a good meeting with Mr Trump in which they talked about the defence of the Ukrainian people, a full and unconditional ceasefire, and a durable and lasting peace that would prevent the war restarting.
Other images released by the Ukrainian president’s office show Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron were present for part of the talks, which were described as “positive” by the French presidency.
Mr Zelenskyy‘s spokesman said the meeting lasted for around 15 minutes and he and Mr Trump had agreed to hold further discussions later on Saturday.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Basilica
But the US president left Rome for Washington on Air Force One soon after the funeral without any other talks having taken place.
The Ukrainian president’s office said there was no second meeting in Rome because of the tight schedule of both leaders, although he had separate discussions with Mr Starmer and Mr Macron.
The French president said in a post on X “Ukraine is ready for an unconditional ceasefire” and that a so-called coalition of the willing, led by the UK and France, would continue working to achieve a lasting peace.
There was applause from some of the other world leaders in attendance at the Vatican when Mr Zelenskyy walked out of St Peter’s Basilica after stopping in front of the pontiff’s coffin to pay his respects.
Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president met for the first time since their Oval Office row. Pic: Reuters
Sir Tony Brenton, the former British ambassador to Russia, said the event presents diplomatic opportunities, including the “biggest possible meeting” between Mr Trump and the Ukrainian leader.
He told Sky News it could mark “an important step” in starting the peace process between Russia and Ukraine.
Professor Father Francesco Giordano told Sky News the meeting is being called “Pope Francis’s miracle” by members of the clergy, adding: “There’s so many things that happened today – it was just overwhelming.”
The bilateral meeting comes after Mr Trump’s peace negotiator Steve Witkoff held talks with Mr Putin at the Kremlin.
They discussed “the possibility of resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine”, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.
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Russia and Ukraine have not held direct talks since the early weeks of the war, which began in February 2022.
Mr Trump has claimed a deal to end the war is “very close” and has urged Mr Zelenskyy to “get it done” in a post on his Truth Social platform.
He has previously warned both sides his administration would walk away from its efforts to achieve a peace if the two sides do not agree a deal soon.
Meanwhile, the Polish armed forces said a Russian military helicopter violated its airspace over the Baltic Sea on Friday evening.
“The nature of the incident indicates that Russia is testing the readiness of our air defence systems,” they said in a post on X.
On an extraordinary day, remarkable pictures on the margins that capture what may be a turning point for the world.
In a corner of St Peter’s Basilica before the funeral of Pope Francis, the leaders of America and Ukraine sit facing each other in two solitary chairs.
They look like confessor and sinner except we cannot tell which one is which.
Leaning forward hands together in their laps, Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy stare at each other in one photo.
In another, the Ukrainian president seems to be remonstrating with the US president. This is their first encounter since their infamous bust-up in the Oval Office.
The two leaders held talks before attending the Pope’s funeral
Other pictures show the moment their French and British counterparts introduced the two men. There is a palpable sense of nervousness in the way the leaders engage.
We do not know what the two presidents said in their brief meeting.
But in the mind of the Ukrainian leader will be the knowledge President Trump has this week said America will reward Russia for its unprovoked brutal invasion of his country, under any peace deal.
Mr Trump has presented Ukraine and Russia with a proposal and ultimatum so one-sided it could have been written in the Kremlin.
Kyiv must surrender the land Russia has taken by force, Crimea forever, the rest at least for now. And it must submit to an act of extortion, a proposed deal that would hand over half its mineral wealth effectively to America.
The world leaders shared a moment before the service
Afterwards, Zelenskyy said it had been a good meeting that could turn out to be historic “if we reach results together”.
They had talked, he said, about the defence of Ukraine, a full and unconditional ceasefire and a durable and lasting peace that will prevent a war restarting.
The Trump peace proposal includes only unspecified security guarantees for Ukraine from countries that do not include the US. It rules out any membership of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s allies are watching closely to see if Mr Trump will apply any pressure on Vladimir Putin, let alone punish him for recent bloody attacks on Ukraine.
Or will he simply walk away if the proposal fails, blaming Ukrainian intransigence, however outrageously, before moving onto a rapprochement with Moscow.
If he does, America’s role as guarantor of international security will be seen effectively as over.
This could be the week we see the world order as we have known it since the end of the Second World War buried, as well as a pope.
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