Oil tanker hit in crash to be towed to North East after jet fuel barrels removed
A US oil tanker which was hit by a container ship in the North Sea is to be towed to the North East of England after more than 200,000 barrels of jet fuel are removed over the weekend, a maritime company has said.
The Solong collided with the anchored tanker Stena Immaculate about 12 miles off the coast of East Yorkshire on March 10, leaving one man missing, presumed dead.
Crowley, which manages the Stena Immaculate, said salvage and recovery operations are moving into the next phase.
'During the weekend of March 29-30, operations will commence at sea to transfer the remaining 202,485 barrels of Jet-A1 cargo from the Stena Immaculate tanker to tanker Fure Vyl, which is anchored nearby,' a spokesperson said.
'This lightering operation is a standard and routine maritime practice that follows established safety protocols.'
The jet fuel will then be delivered to its original destination of Killingholme, in Lincolnshire, the statement added.
The Stena Immaculate will be towed to the North East coast, near Newcastle, for further inspection expected to take place in early April.
A Crowley spokesperson added: 'We continue to work with the appropriate authorities and remain committed to supporting the salvors and salvage operations with the highest possible regard for safety.'
Portuguese vessel Solong arrived in Aberdeen on Friday after being towed to the Scottish city for 'safe berthing'.
It was accompanied by a vessel with counter-pollution measures as it arrived at the Port of Aberdeen at around 7am on Friday.
A total of 36 people were rescued from the ships following the incident but a sailor from the Solong – named as 38-year-old Filipino national Mark Angelo Pernia – is missing and presumed dead.
The Solong's captain, Vladimir Motin, 59, of St Petersburg, Russia, has appeared at Hull Magistrates' Court and at the Old Bailey charged with gross negligence manslaughter and was remanded in custody.
He is due to stand trial in January 2026.
Following the collision, thousands of plastic pellets used in plastics production, known as nurdles, were released from ruptured containers on the Solong and began washing up on beaches on the Norfolk coast, where a clean-up operation is continuing.
According to conservationists, the nurdles are not toxic but can harm animals if ingested.
King's Lynn and West Norfolk Council said it had begun removing the nurdles, focusing initially on the stretch of beaches between Holme-next-the-Sea and Old Hunstanton.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Russian captain denies unlawful killing of crew member in North Sea collision
The Russian captain of a container ship that crashed into a US oil tanker in the North Sea has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter. The Solong's master, Vladimir Motin, 59, of Primorsky, St Petersburg, is accused of the unlawful killing of crew member Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, in the collision off the East Yorkshire coast. On Friday, Motin appeared at the Old Bailey by videolink from HMP Hull for a plea hearing before Judge Mark Lucraft KC. Assisted by a Russian interpreter, Motin confirmed his identity before he pleaded not guilty to a single charge of the manslaughter of Filipino national Mr Pernia on March 10. Judge Lucraft set a further hearing on September 10 ahead of the defendant's trial on January 12 2026. Motin was charged over Mr Pernia's death after his vessel collided with the American tanker Stena Immaculate near the Humber Estuary on March 10. All 23 people on the tanker were rescued along with 13 crew from the Solong, but Mr Pernia could not be located. Mr Pernia was working in the forward deck of the Solong, in an area where there was an explosion. The collision happened at about 9.47am at 10.2 nautical miles from the nearest point on the coast, a previous hearing was told. The 140m-long Solong is Portuguese-registered and was carrying about 157 containers. The Stena Immaculate is 183m long and was carrying jet fuel. It anchored at the point of the collision about 15 hours before the impact. The Solong was travelling at about 15 knots when it hit the port side of the other vessel.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Russian captain denies killing crewman in North Sea crash
The Russian captain of a container ship that crashed into a US oil tanker in the North Sea has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter. Vladimir Motin, 59, the Solong's master, is accused of the unlawful killing of crew member Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, in the collision off the East Yorkshire coast. On Friday, Mr Motin appeared at the Old Bailey by video link from HMP Hull for a plea hearing before Judge Mark Lucraft KC. Assisted by a Russian interpreter, Mr Motin, of Primorsky, St Petersburg, confirmed his identity before pleading not guilty to a single charge of the manslaughter of Pernia, a Filipino national, on March 10. Judge Lucraft set a further hearing for Sept 10 ahead of the defendant's trial on Jan 12 next year. Mr Motin was charged over Pernia's death after his vessel collided with Stena Immaculate, an American tanker, near the Humber Estuary on March 10. All 23 people on the tanker were rescued along with 13 crew from the Solong, but Pernia could not be located. He had been working in the forward deck of the Solong, in an area where there was an explosion. The collision happened at about 9.47am, 10.2 nautical miles from the nearest point on the coast, a previous hearing was told. The Solong, which is Portuguese-registered, was carrying about 157 containers. The Stena Immaculate, which was carrying jet fuel, anchored at the point of the collision about 15 hours before the impact. The Solong was travelling at about 15 knots when it hit the port side. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
3 days ago
Russian captain denies manslaughter in North Sea collision, faces UK trial in January
LONDON -- The Russian captain of a cargo ship that collided with a U.S. tanker in the North Sea pleaded not guilty to the manslaughter of one of his crew at a U.K. court hearing on Friday. Vladimir Motin, 59, from St. Petersburg, appeared by video link from prison for the pretrial hearing at London's Central Criminal Court. Assisted by a Russian interpreter, he denied a charge of gross manslaughter over the death of 38-year-old Mark Angelo Pernia. Motin was ordered detained until his next hearing, and his trial was set for Jan. 12. The Portugal-flagged cargo ship Solong was traveling at about 15 knots (17 mph or 28 kph) when it hit the anchored tanker MV Stena Immaculate about 12 miles (19 kilometers) off the coast of northeast England on March 10, sparking a fire that lasted nearly a week. The tanker was transporting jet fuel for the U.S. military. Rescuers saved 36 people from both ships. Pernia, from the Philippines, is missing and presumed dead. U.K. authorities have said that there's nothing to indicate that the collision was connected to national security. Environmental damage from the collision was far less than initially feared, though thousands of pellets used in plastics production, known as nurdles, from the ruptured containers on the Solong have since washed up along England's east coast.
