Detained captain of cargo ship that collided with US oil tanker is Russian national, ship owner says
A Russian national was revealed to be the captain of the cargo ship that collided with a U.S. tanker off the coast of England in an incident that sparked a massive fire, spilled jet fuel into the sea and left one person feared dead.
The 59-year-old man remained in United Kingdom police custody Wednesday after being detained on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence, according to Ernst Russ, the owner of the Portugal-flagged Solong cargo ship. It added that the ship's 14 crew members were a mix of Russian and Filipino nationals. One of them remains missing and is presumed dead.
The Solong collided Monday with MV Stena Immaculate, a U.S.-flagged tanker transporting jet fuel for the American military. U.S.-based Crowley Ship Management said the MV Stena Immaculate was anchored near Hull when it was struck and that all 23 onboard are "safe and accounted for" with no reported injuries.
Leading up to the collision, the Solong was inspected in Dublin, Ireland last July and was found to have 10 deficiencies, according to the Associated Press.
Port inspection documents show the Solong failed steering-related safety checks with the vessel's "emergency steering position communications/compass reading" unreadable. It also had "inadequate" alarms, survival craft "not properly maintained" and fire doors "not as required."
Then a second inspection in Scotland in October found two more deficiencies, but the ship wasn't detained after either inspection, the AP reported.
However, U.K. authorities said they don't suspect foul play in the crash.
The 596-foot Stena Immaculate was operating as part of the U.S. government's Tanker Security Program, a group of commercial vessels that can be contracted to carry fuel for the military when needed.
"Crowley continues to work closely with U.K. agencies to support the incident response, salvage and environmental impact mitigation operations resulting from container ship Solong striking the Crowley-managed tanker Stena Immaculate while at anchor on Monday, March 10," the ship's owner said Tuesday.
"It remains uncertain at this time what volume of fuel may have been released as a result of the incident, but initial review shows impacts have been limited due to exposure to the fire and evaporation of the Jet A1 fuel," Crowley continued. "In addition, U.K agencies are closely monitoring air quality and any possible public health impacts resulting onshore. Both are currently measuring low or within normal levels."
The Solong was drifting and still on fire Wednesday, but is likely to remain afloat rather than sinking, officials said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Several killed as separatists clash with Malian army, Russian allies in the conflict-hit north
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Malian security forces clashed with members of an armed separatist group over two days, resulting in the deaths of 10 separatists, the Malian army said Friday. The Azawad separatists said it killed dozens of Malian soldiers and members of a Kremlin-controlled armed force. The clashes began with a military offensive in the northern Kidal region on Thursday, the Malian army said in a statement. On Friday, the Malian military's logistics convoy was ambushed before the attack was repelled, it added. The separatists reported they killed 'dozens' of Malian soldiers and fighters with the Kremlin-controlled African Corps in the ambush. The Azawad separatist movement has been fighting for years to create the state of Azawad in northern Mali. They once drove security forces out of the region before a 2015 peace deal that has since collapsed was signed to pave the way for some ex-rebels to be integrated into the Malian military. 'We recovered 12 trucks loaded with cereals, tankers full of diesel, one military pickup, and one armored vehicles from the 30 vehicles in the convoy,' Mohamed Maouloud Ramadan, spokesman for the Azawad separatists, said in a statement that acknowledged the death of three of their members. Viral videos shared by the separatists showed military trucks on fire in a large swathe of desert land amid gunfire as gun-wielding hooded young men posed in front of the trucks. The videos also showed bodies with uniforms that resemble those of the Malian army. The Associated Press could not independently verify the videos. The latest clashes show how difficult it is for security forces in Mali to operate in difficult terrains like Kidal, according to Rida Lyammouri, a Sahel expert at the Morocco-based Policy Center for the New South think tank. 'It's difficult to gather actionable intelligence to protect their convoys, and this gives a significant advantage to armed and jihadist groups', said Lyammouri. The latest attack occurred days after Russia's mercenary group Wagner – which for more than three years helped Malian security forces in the fight against armed groups – announced it was leaving the country. The Africa Corps, under the direct command of the Russian defense ministry, said it will remain in Mali. There are around 2,000 mercenaries in Mali, according to U.S. officials. It is unclear how many are with Wagner and how many are part of the Africa Corps.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
At ‘No Kings' protests against Trump, remember this civil rights icon
Hundreds of thousands of protesters are expected to hit the streets on Saturday as a way to push back against President Donald J. Trump's self-serving military parade, and Flag Day and birthday (his) celebration. The spectacle in downtown Washington, D.C., estimated to cost U.S. taxpayers north of $50 million when it's all said and done, is to mark, in the most ostentatious way, the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. As someone whose brother and three uncles (as well as numerous other friends and relatives) served in that proud military branch, I wholeheartedly agree that it is a birthday worth noting. But President Trump, as is his wont, has turned it into a gaudy celebration of him worthy of an authoritarian regime because it's his birthday . . . sheesh. Opinion: Trump's mass deportations hurt Floridians like these. It's a shame to US values. Cue the concerns that this has a lot of people feeling some kind of way; and rightly so given the growing tension around Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids from Tallahassee to Omaha to San Diego. (I won't get into the hypocrisy compared to the deadly Jan. 6 insurrectionists' attack on the U.S. Capitol Building.) And coming as it is, in the wake of the president siccing the California National Guard and U.S. Marines on largely peaceful protesters in Los Angeles over the past week, the planned Russian-style military procession of troops, tanks and missiles in our nation's capitol is all the more galling to many citizens. So much so that the arrests and detainment of several hundred protesters, so far, have inspired some 1,800 "No Kings Day" protests throughout the country — including Palm Beach County. To be sure, there have been a relative handful of rioters and looters who've taken advantage of the situation by burning several cars, defacing storefronts and even throwing water bottles at police. Thankfully no law enforcement has been reported injured. But police have also responded with force using batons and firing rubber bullets to quell the violence. That's why during these "No Kings Day" protests, I implore those exercising their right to peaceful assembly to indeed follow the lead of one king: Martin Luther King, Jr. Remember, King made "peaceful protests" the centerpiece of the Civil Rights Movement. And it was effective. Opinion: There are a trillion issues with the Big Beautiful Bill. Tax cuts are a big one. Yes, there were plenty of doubters along the way, both inside and outside of the movement. How could there not be when you're being beaten, bloodied and fire-hosed every day. Imagine the intestinal fortitude needed to not strike back, or return the next day after watching you wife or child being attacked by a police dog. But King's message of "passive resistance" through peaceful boycotts, sit-ins and protests, from the streets to the lunch counters, no matter your pain or anger is what eventually won the day. It's a hard lesson lost on many of us today seeking instant gratification rather than strapping in for the long haul. Over and over again, King stressed that returning fire only played into their attackers' hands. It's worth mentioning here that King didn't have to contend with "edited" video and deepfakes on social media. But that violence only gave them the excuse to do even more terrible things, and eventually drown out the message of treating people humanely. Today's protests, and those to come, are an opportunity to show those lessons are not lost. Peace. Rick Christie is the Florida State Opinion Group Editor for the USA Today Network-Florida and Interim Editorial Page Editor for The Palm Beach Post. You can email him at RChristie@ This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: At Trump protests, remember Martin Luther King Jr. | Opinion
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Russian Su-25 jet reportedly crashes in Donetsk Oblast
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated. A Russian SU-25 fighter jet reportedly crashed over Donetsk Oblast on June 13, Russian social media channels reported. Videos posted on social media of the purported crash by bloggers with close ties to the Russian Air Force appear to show the plane crashing into a field after closely being followed by another fighter jet. The circumstances of the crash remain unclear as rumours swirl of Russian 'friendly fire' as a potential cause of the crash. The Kyiv Independent cannot independently verify the crash or the details surrounding it. Neither the Ukrainian nor Russian military have commented on the reported crash. The Su-25, a Soviet-designed close-air support aircraft developed by Sukhoi in the late 1970s, is built for battlefield survivability. It features heavy armor and can withstand enemy fire. The aircraft has been widely used in various conflicts, including in Afghanistan, Chechnya, and, more recently, in Ukraine, where both Russian and Ukrainian forces operate the platform. Ukraine has downed multiple Russian Su-25s throughout the war. On Feb. 8, Ukraine's military reported shooting down a Russian Su-25 near the town of Toretsk in Donetsk Oblast. In another instance, Russia's Defense Ministry said on on March 24 that Russian Su-25 attack aircraft crashed during a routine training flight in Primorye Krai in Russia's Far East. The incident comes less than two week following Ukraine's 'Operation Spiderweb' in which Ukrainian drones smuggled deep inside Russia and hidden inside trucks struck as many as 41 Russian heavy bombers at four airfields across the country. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian MiG-29 strikes Russian drone hub, ammo depot in Zaporizhzhia direction, releases video We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
