THE UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch of the Department of Transport is just one of several bodies now undertaking investigations into the Monday [UK time] collision between containership Solong and tanker Stena Immaculate off the East Yorkshire coast.
Solong, belonging to German managing owner Ernst Russ under the Peter Doehle umbrella, was on charter to the Icelandic company Samskip and on a regular feeder service between Grangemouth, Scotland and Rotterdam when it t-boned the tanker which was anchored off the Humber Estuary. Solong is under the Madeira flag (Portuguese second register) favoured by a lot of German and other European owners.
Stena Immaculate, which was laden with jet fuel and on charter to the US Military Sealift Command, is one of ten vessels enrolled in the Department of Transportation’s Tanker Security Program. It is one of three tankers operated in the TSP by Crowley-Stena Marine Solutions, a joint venture between US-based Crowley, which manages the vessel under the US flag, and Stena Bulk USA.
Thirteen Russian and Filipin crew were safely rescued from Solong but the search for a 14th was called off on Monday night. All 23 US citizens from the tanker were also safely recovered, with one briefly admitted to hospital.
In developments overnight our time the two fire-engulfed ships separated and despite the UK Government assuring both were likely to remain afloat, the still-smouldering and more extensively-damaged Solong is now reported to have grounded off the coast.
Solong’s operators and owners have clarified the ship is/was not carrying containers of sodium cyanide, as previously reported.
Meanwhile, Humberside Police said a 59-year-old man – confirmed by the shipowner to be the master – had been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
Police told the BBC they had begun a criminal investigation into the cause of the collision and was working with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The MAIB was also undertaking a parallel preliminary assessment to establish the causes of the crash.
Det Ch Supt Craig Nicholson said: “Humberside Police have taken primacy for the investigation of any potential criminal offences which arise from the collision between the two vessels.
“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 collision recalls a similar incident on 7 October 2018, when the Tunisian Ro-Ro ferry Ulysse collided with the anchored Cypriot container ship CSL Virginia northwest of Cape Corsica, causing a significant hull breach and a 20km oil spill. The two vessels remained interlocked for five days before being separated.
Investigations revealed that the Ulysse watch officer was alone on the bridge, distracted by personal phone use, and seated in a position with limited visibility. Additionally, one of the ship’s radars was out of service, and the binoculars were defective, contributing to the failure to detect the CSL Virginia in time. Fatigue was also considered a factor in the officer’s lack of vigilance.
