The detained captain of the container ship that collided off the UK coast with a tanker carrying US military fuel on Monday is a Russian national, the vessel’s owner has said.
Germany-based shipowner Ernst Russ on Wednesday confirmed the nationality of the 59-year-old man, who captained the Solong container vessel.
He was arrested by Humberside Police on Tuesday on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter following the collision in the North Sea on Monday.
The company added that the Solong’s crew of 14 mariners included a mix of Russians and Filipinos. Authorities have said one of the crew is presumed dead while the others, along with the 23 crew members of the Stena Immaculate tanker, have returned safely to shore.
The 23 mariners on the US-flagged Stena Immaculate were US citizens, in line with the country’s regulations, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Russian and Filipino crews are common in commercial shipping; the countries are the two biggest suppliers of seafarers, according to a 2021 report by industry bodies Bimco and the International Chamber of Shipping.
After the Solong captain was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter, authorities continued to investigate the reasons for the crash off the east Yorkshire coast as rescue teams also raced to mitigate the environmental impact.
On Tuesday, Downing Street said that “foul play” did not appear to be involved.
Information from vessel-tracking site Marine Traffic appeared to show the Solong ploughing into the Stena Immaculate, which was carrying up to 220,000 barrels of fuel for the US military, while the tanker was at anchor.
The Solong, which had begun to drift southwards following the crash, was now being held in place by a tug, assistant chief coastguard John Craig said on Tuesday evening.
He added that some flames were still visible on the container vessel, while a fire on the Stena Immaculate was “greatly reduced”.
Firefighting was focused on the Solong and HM Coastguard was preparing for any pollution that may occur due to damage to the vessels, Craig said.
He added that air quality sampling onshore revealed no toxins and that Met Office modelling indicated “no threat to the public”.
Humberside Police said it was working with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency as it investigated the cause of the collision on Tuesday.
