Additional firefighting ships were deployed off the British coast on Tuesday, a day after a cargo ship collided with a tanker laden with jet fuel chartered by the US military. Here is what we know about Monday’s incident in the North Sea involving the tanker Stena Immaculate and the container ship Solong: The Stena Immaculate, owned by Sweden’s Stena Bulk, was carrying 220,000 barrels of jet fuel, managed by US shipping firm Crowley Maritime. The tanker was anchored approximately 13 miles (20 kilometers) off the northeastern England port of Hull when it was struck by the container ship Solong. The alarm was raised at 09:48 am (0948 GMT) on Monday. Following the collision, a massive fire erupted, engulfing both vessels. A UK minister informed parliament that the jet fuel onboard the tanker was the source of the fire. Despite initial reports, the Solong cargo ship was not transporting containers of toxic sodium cyanide, confirmed its owners, German shipping company Ernst Russ. The tanker was carrying jet-A1 fuel, with the US Defense Department confirming that the US military chartered the vessel. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesperson indicated there was no suggestion of foul play over the incident. Transport Minister Mike Kane assured parliament that no signs of pollution from the vessels had been observed at this time, though monitoring is in place and assets will be deployed if needed. The UK Coastguard reported that 36 people had been rescued. Thirteen of the Solong’s 14 crew members were brought ashore, according to its owners. The search for the missing crew member was called off late on Monday, with Kane indicating he was “likely deceased.” All 23 crew members of the Stena Immaculate were ashore and accounted for. One sailor was treated at the scene but declined further medical assistance. Both ships remain ablaze, although the fire onboard the Stena Immaculate had greatly diminished, according to the UK Coastguard. The Solong detached from the tanker overnight and is drifting southward, being monitored. An AFP photo showed the Solong devastated by the blaze and still smoking. Kane told parliament it was unlikely the vessel would remain afloat. Four additional ships with firefighting capacity were en route to the site of the Stena Immaculate, according to Dutch maritime servicing company Boskalis, tasked with salvaging the tanker. The tanker would need to be cooled down before the fire could be extinguished. The government Marine Accident Investigation Branch has a team at the scene gathering evidence and assessing next steps. The investigation is being led by US and Portuguese authorities, as the ships are flagged from their countries, UK Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook said. David McFarlane of Maritime Risk and Safety consultancy noted there are 200 to 300 ship collisions globally each year, but most are minor incidents in port. McFarlane highlighted that collision regulations require all ships to maintain a proper lookout at all times, suggesting a failure in adherence contributed to this collision. Investigators will look for the video data recorders on the two ships, equivalent to plane’s “black box” data recorders. These should contain information from the ships’ radar and voice recordings of the bridge teams, helping determine whether there was communication between the two vessels before the collision.
