The individual in charge of a cargo ship, which tragically collided with an oil tanker carrying jet fuel for the US military, has been identified as Russian, as per the ship’s owner’s recent announcement.
MV Solong punched through the hull of the American-flagged Stena Impeccable on Monday morning, causing both vessels to burst into flames.
Following the crash, crew members had to hastily evacuate as a fire engulfed both vessels. While thirty-six individuals were successfully rescued, one crew member from the Solong remains unaccounted for and is presumed deceased.
The cargo hauler’s 59-year-old captain has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and remains in police custody.
Ernst Russ, the owner of the ship, has today confirmed that the experienced sailor steering the vessel was of Russian nationality, raising concerns that the Kremlin may have played a part in the tragic event that occurred on Monday.
The rest of the crew were Russian or Filipino nationals, the shipping firm added.
The White House has not ruled out foul play for the fireball disaster, senior officials in Washington previously said.
A British government source also said early investigations did not indicate foul play was behind the smash – but added that it was too early to rule it out entirely.
The development comes as it emerged the Solong had failed a slew of critical safety checks before the explosive crash off the East Yorkshire coast.
Port State Control (PSC) inspection documents from July last year have revealed that Irish officials deemed the ship’s ’emergency steering position communications/compass reading’ was ‘not readable’.
This was among 10 shocking deficiencies highlighted during the inspection of the Portuguese vessel in Dublin.
Other defects include alarms being ‘inadequate’, survival craft ‘not properly maintained’, and fire doors ‘not as required’.
Solong crashed into Stena Immaculate off the east coast of Yorkshire on Monday at about 9.48am, causing several explosions to rip through the American ship as it turned into a ‘fireball’.
The Immaculate was carrying thousands of tonnes of jet fuel and had been chartered by the US military. Its 23-strong crew was forced to abandon ship.
A further 13 sailors from the Solong were taken to shore unhurt – but one is presumed to have perished at sea.
Smoke from the disaster was so thick, it could be seen from space, while locals on shore some 13 miles away were told to shut their windows amid fears over potentially toxic fumes.
The charred husk of the Solong continued to burn last night, but is no longer expected to sink – with dramatic pictures yesterday showing its scorched hull still smouldering.
Ernst Russ confirmed the vessel’s captain had been arrested by Humberside Police on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
The 59-year-old man remains in custody and the force has launched a criminal investigation into the cause of the crash.
Det Chief Supt Craig Nicholson, who is leading the investigation, said: ‘Humberside Police have taken primacy for the investigation of any potential criminal offences which arise from the collision between the two vessels.’
However, today’s news about the captain’s nationality is likely to cast fresh concern over whether the Kremlin played a role in the disaster.
It comes after transport minister Mr Kane told MPs yesterday something went ‘terribly wrong’ for the crash to happen, but insisted there was ‘no evidence’ of foul play.
And a spokesman for the Prime Minister later added: ‘I understand there doesn’t appear to be any suggestions of foul play at this time.’
However, a government source previously told The Telegraph that foul play could not be entirely ruled out until a detailed investigation was concluded.
As well as failing key steering safety checks, another PSC inspection of the Solong by Scottish authorities in Grangemouth in October 2024 found two deficiencies with cargo hauler.
One of these was related to lifebuoys – designed to be thrown into the water to prevent drowning – being ‘not properly marked’.
Solong was not detained after the inspections in Dublin or Grangemouth.
PSC inspections are carried out on ships in ports around the world.
They are aimed at verifying the condition of a vessel and that its equipment meets international regulations.
Efforts are still being carried out to recover the body of the missing Solong crewman.
Mike Kane, a transport minister, told the House of Commons on Tuesday: ‘Search and rescue operations for the missing sailor continued throughout yesterday, but were called off yesterday evening at the point of which the chances of their survival had unfortunately significantly diminished.
‘Our working assumption is that, very sadly, that the sailor is deceased.’
PSC inspections are official checks carried out to make sure vessels visiting British and European ports meet mandatory safety standards.
A spokesman for Ernst Russ said the inspections were a routine part of maritime business and that it is normal for a number of items to be flagged as deficient.
They compared the safety checks to the process to taking a car to a mechanic for an MoT.
When inspectors uncover serious safety-related, they must be fixed before a ship is allowed to set sail again.
Questions still remain over how the accident took place, with the Immaculate having been at anchor at the time.
It’s something officials from the Maritime Accident Investigation Branch will be looking to get to the bottom of.
The Immaculate was chartered to the US Military Sealift Command and was loaded with 220,000 barrels of Jet-A1 aviation fuel in in 16 segregated cargo tanks when the Solong ploughed into her.
If the crash was not deliberate, maritime experts have suggested Solong’s watchkeepers could be to blame.
Survivors of the crash yesterday told MailOnline they had only seconds to react.
Recalling the terrifying maritime smash and aftermath, one crewmate from the Immaculate said: ‘It was either get into your life jacket or get incinerated.’
The 36 survivors of the tanker and cargo ship Solong were recovering at hotels in Grimsby on Tuesday as a full investigation began.
A handful of the American crew of the Stena Immaculate spoke about what happened but asked not to be identified.
They were so close to the flames as they boarded the lifeboat that some suffered singed hair. Thankfully all survived without serious injury. One member of the Solong crew is missing presumed dead.
One crewman said: ‘Yesterday was a bad start to the day, but it ended gloriously. Why? All 23 of us got off the ship without anybody being in it.’ Adding that he was ‘pleased to be alive.’
Asked about his actions immediately after the tanker carrying a cargo of jet fuel burst into flames, he said: ‘I did have time to think. I ran through the procedures. Because if I hadn’t had time to think, we wouldn’t have survived. We drilled, we trained, we prepared for the unprepared. We do emergency prep non-stop. Regardless of outside uncontrollable forces.’
The Stena Immaculate, which had travelled from the Greek port of Agioi Theodoroi.
Meanwhile, the Solong had been sailing from the Scottish port of Grangemouth to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
Assistant Chief Coastguard John Craig has said salvage firms are at the scene and are developing a plan to recover both the Solong and the Immaculate.
The Solong is currently being held offshore in a safe position by a tug boat.
Mr Craig said: ‘A tow line has now successfully been put in place and a tug is holding Solong offshore in a safer position.
‘There are still some flames visible on the main deck of the Solong and firefighting is focusing on this area.
‘A salvage plan is being developed with the appointed salvors on scene.’
Collisions remain rare in the busy North Sea.
In October 2023, two cargo ships, the Verity and the Polesie, collided near Germany’s Heligoland islands in the North Sea.
Three people were killed and two others are still missing and considered dead.
In October 2015, the Flinterstar freighter, carrying 125 tonnes of diesel and 427 tonnes of fuel oil, sank after colliding with the Al Oraiq tanker five miles off the Belgian coast.
