U.K. police arrest man on suspicion of manslaughter in North Sea ship collision

The Associated Press

· Posted: Mar 11, 2025 12:51 PM EDT | Last Updated: 18 minutes ago

British constabulary arrested a antheral connected suspicion of manslaughter arsenic they searched for answers astir wherefore a cargo vessel deed a tanker transporting pitchy substance for the U.S. subject disconnected eastbound England, mounting some vessels ablaze. One sailor was presumed dead.

Humberside Police said the 59-year-old was detained "on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter successful transportation with the collision." The man, who was not named by police, has not been charged.

U.K. officials were watching for harm to birds and oversea beingness aft pitchy substance from a ruptured vessel poured into the North Sea erstwhile the Portugal-registered instrumentality vessel Solong broadsided the U.S.-flagged tanker MV Stena Immaculate connected Monday. The collision sparked explosions and fires that burned for much than 24 hours.

Footage filmed from a chopper connected Tuesday greeting showed the occurrence appeared to mostly beryllium retired connected the tanker, which had a ample gash connected its larboard side.

The U.K. seashore defender bureau said Tuesday that "the Solong is inactive alight and the occurrence connected committee the Stena Immaculate has greatly diminished." It said the cargo vessel was drifting south, distant from the tanker, and a one-kilometre exclusion portion had been enactment successful spot astir some ships. The authorities said the origin of the collision was being investigated, but determination was nary denotation of foul play.

Cargo vessel expected to sink

"No motion of contamination from vessels is observed astatine this time," Transport Minister Mike Kane told lawmakers successful the House of Commons. But helium cautioned that it was a fast-changing situation, and said the cargo vessel is apt to sink.

The authorities said aerial prime readings were mean and the hazard to nationalist wellness onshore was "very low."

The collision triggered a large rescue cognition by lifeboats, seashore defender craft and commercialized vessels successful the foggy North Sea.

WATCH | Smoke billows astatine the country of the collision:

All but 1 of the 37 unit members from the 2 vessels were brought safely ashore successful the larboard of Grimsby, astir 240 kilometres north of London, with nary large injuries. One unit subordinate was missing, and the seashore guards called disconnected the hunt precocious Monday.

"Our moving presumption is that, precise sadly, the sailor is deceased." Kane said.

The U.K. Marine Accident Investigation Branch has begun gathering grounds of what caused the Solong, bound from Grangemouth, Scotland, to Rotterdam, Netherlands, to deed the stationary tanker, which was anchored astir 16 kilometres off the English coast.

The probe volition beryllium led by the U.S. and Portugal, the countries wherever the vessels are flagged.

Fuel for U.S. military

The 183-metre Stena Immaculate was operating arsenic portion of the U.S. government's Tanker Security Program, a radical of commercialized vessels that tin beryllium contracted to transportation substance for the subject erstwhile needed. Its operator, U.S.-based maritime absorption steadfast Crowley, said that it was carrying 220,000 barrels of Jet-A1 substance successful 16 tanks, astatine slightest 1 of which was ruptured.

The institution said that it was unclear however overmuch substance had leaked into the sea.

The proprietor of the Solong, shipping institution Ernst Russ, said that contrary to earlier reports, the vas wasn't carrying containers of sodium cyanide, which tin nutrient harmful state erstwhile combined with water. It said that 4 bare containers had antecedently contained the chemical.

"Our squad is actively engaged with each section authorities, and we volition enactment with cleanup teams to guarantee each effort is made to mitigate further impacts connected the marine environment," the institution said successful a statement.

Greenpeace U.K. said that it was excessively aboriginal to measure the grade of immoderate biology harm from the collision, which took spot adjacent engaged sportfishing grounds and large seabird colonies.

Environmentalists said that lipid and chemicals posed a hazard to oversea life, including whales and dolphins and to birds, including puffins, gannets and guillemots that unrecorded connected coastal cliffs.

Tom Webb, elder lecturer successful marine ecology and conservation astatine the University of Sheffield, said that wildlife on that agelong of seashore "is of immense biological, taste and economical importance."

"In summation to the wealthiness of marine beingness that is contiguous each twelvemonth round, this clip of the twelvemonth is important for galore migratory species," helium said.

Alex Lukyanov, who models lipid spills astatine the University of Reading, said that the biology interaction would beryllium connected aggregate factors, including "the size of the spill, upwind conditions, oversea currents, h2o waves, upwind patterns and the benignant of lipid involved."

"This peculiar incidental is troubling due to the fact that it appears to impact persistent oil, which breaks up dilatory successful water," helium said. "The biology toll could beryllium severe."