The key unanswered questions over the North Sea oil tanker collision

Independent

12-03-2025

Major maritime accidents are thankfully very uncommon in British waters, with the collision between a US oil tanker and a Portuguese cargo ship prompting shockwaves across the seafaring industry.
An investigation has been launched after MV Solong collided with the MV Stena Immaculate on Monday morning, causing a fireball to erupt on the North Sea and posing an environmental risk to the local wildlife.
A sailor is presumed dead and the 59-year-old Russian captain of the container ship has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
Yet questions remain as to how such a disaster occurred, which sparked a major operation to contain the blazing inferno and rescue all the sailors involved.
What caused the collision?
Ship-tracking data shows that the Stena Immaculate was practically stationary at the time of the crash, and was drifting at 0.1 knots at 9.48am.
Meanwhile, the 140-metre Solong was moving at an average speed of 16 knots as it travelled from Grangemouth in Scotland to Rotterdam. Just minutes later, Marine Traffic shows that the speed had dropped to 3 knots as it is believed to have hit the oil tanker.
While the cause of the collision remains unclear, it has been suggested that autopilot could have played a part if nobody had been maintaining a proper lookout.
Martyn Boyers, chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East, told Sky News: 'They have a thing called autopilot, and that's what I would suspect has been the issue. If it's been put on autopilot and there's no one on the bridge, which would happen, then it'd just go straight on.
'Autopilot just steers a course, they don't deviate, there's no bend in the sea.'
Dr Abdul Khalique, head of the Maritime Centre at Liverpool John Moores University, said: 'It can be assumed that the watchkeepers on MV Solong were not performing their duty to 'maintain a proper lookout by all available means' as required by international regulations for preventing collisions at sea.'
A Stena Immaculate sailor told the US network CBS News the Solong didn't immediately stop and drove into their ship for what seemed like 10 minutes.
Other crew members said it appeared nobody was on the bridge of the Solong at the moment of the crash, he added.
Poor visibility may also have played a role in the collision, with heavy fog across the Humber Estuary on Monday.
Who is the missing sailor?
Little is known about the sailor who is presumed dead on the MV Solong, with the search called off on Monday evening.
Shipping company Ernst Russ confirmed that the other 13 crew members were safe and accounted for, along with all of the Stena Immaculate's 20 crew members.
One RNLI crew member told The Times the fog was so thick during the initial search and rescue crews could 'not see a thing'.
'We are not equipped with firefighting equipment for this type of incident,' he said.
The captain of the Solong, a 59-year-old Russian national, has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and remains in police custody.
What was the cargo ship carrying?
Despite previous media reports, the shipping company which owns the Solong has denied that the vessel was carrying sodium cyanide.
Ernst Russ said in a statement: 'We are able to confirm that there are no containers onboard ladened with sodium cyanide, as has been misreported.
'There are four empty containers that have previously contained the hazardous chemical, and these containers will continue to be monitored.'
It is now expected to stay afloat and can be towed away from the shore ahead of salvage operations.
Assistant Chief Coastguard John Craig said on Tuesday evening that salvage companies were now at the scene and developing a plan for both the Solong and the Stena Immaculate oil tanker.
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.'
What is the scale of the risk to the environment?
The East Yorkshire coast is home to a number of colonies of seabirds including puffins and kittiwakes, while there are significant numbers of Atlantic grey seals and porpoises in the area.
Toxic oil spills can harm or kill marine wildlife and affect fishing, with concerns raised that the spill of jet fue l could be potentially devastating for the wildlife of the Humber estuary.
However, Crowley, the maritime company managing the Stena Immaculate, said it remains unclear how much Jet A1 fuel was released when it was hit by the Solong, but an initial review shows it had evaporated due to exposure to fires on both vessels.
Dr Alex Lukyanov, researcher on advanced mathematical models of oil spills from the University of Reading, previously said the incident was 'troubling' because it appeared to involve persistent oil, which breaks up slowly in water, while he also suggested the 'environmental toll could be severe'.
Assistant chief coastguard John Craig said: 'A comprehensive counter pollution response is in place and HM Coastguard continues to make preparations for any pollution that may occur as a result of the damage to the vessels.
'The MCA's concern in relation to tanks on the Solong has reduced with tugs now able to work in close vicinity.
'The threat from the previously identified dangerous goods on board has reduced significantly. Air quality sampling onshore has shown no toxins and modelling from the Met Office indicates no threat to the public.'
Hugo Tagholm, executive director of Oceana UK, said: 'This tragic event shows once again that spills occur everywhere Big Oil goes, be it drilling the ocean floor or transporting fossil fuels around the world.
'We are now seeing toxic oil pouring from the 183-metre-long tanker into – or very near – a sensitive area designated to protect declining harbour porpoises.
'As these animals are forced to come to the surface to breathe, they risk inhaling poisonous fumes and choking on oil.