Latest news with #CraigNicholson
Sky News
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Police granted 36 more hours to question Russian captain of North Sea crash ship
Police have been granted an additional 36 hours to question the captain of a container ship which crashed into a US oil tanker in the North Sea on Monday. The 59-year-old Russian man was the captain of Solong, which struck the US tanker Stenna Immaculate off the east coast of Yorkshire. The man was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and was taken into Humberside Police custody. Detective Chief Superintendent Craig Nicholson said: "An extension has been granted by the magistrates' court to detain the man in custody for a further 36 hours. "Detectives are continuing to question him following his arrest on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the collision. "Extensive lines of inquiry by police into any potential criminal offences which arise from the collision between the two vessels are ongoing, whilst partner agencies continue their own assessments of the incident." Mr Nicholson added that the force is supporting the family of a Solong crew member who went missing after the crash and is presumed dead. Chief Coastguard Paddy O'Callaghan said "both vessels are presently stable", although there are "small pockets of fire" on the top deck of Solong. He said: "The Stena Immaculate remains at anchor. The Solong continues to be held in a safe location by tug. The coastguard added that damage on the vessels is being assessed, while surveillance flights continue to monitor the two ships. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the situation is "reasonably contained". "We're obviously monitoring it all of the time. In terms of the cause of it, that's yet to be determined", he said. "There's a process now in place with an arrest. But we have to get to the bottom of it. "But the immediate thing is to deal with the problem in front of us, which is the aftermath of the collision." He added: "I'd just like to acknowledge the good work of those that are actually out there doing really hard work in very difficult circumstances, which they did not expect to be in. "I pay tribute to them." Asked about calls for a COBRA meeting to assess the potential environmental, Sir Keir said: "We are absolutely monitoring this 24/7 and I've got teams doing that and assuring me of what's going on.
The Independent
13-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Police given more time to question captain of North Sea crash ship
Police have been granted more time to question the captain of a container ship which crashed into a US oil tanker in the North Sea. The 59-year-old Russian captain of Solong, which struck US tanker Stena Immaculate off the east coast of Yorkshire on Monday, will be detained for a further 36 hours, Humberside Police said. He was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and taken into police custody. Detective Chief Superintendent Craig Nicholson said: 'An extension has been granted by the magistrates' court to detain the man in custody for a further 36 hours. 'Detectives are continuing to question him following his arrest on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the collision. 'Extensive lines of inquiry by police into any potential criminal offences which arise from the collision between the two vessels are ongoing, whilst partner agencies continue their own assessments of the incident.' Mr Nicholson said the force is supporting the family of a Solong crew member who went missing after the crash and is presumed dead. Chief coastguard Paddy O'Callaghan said the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) 'continues to support the joint response to the collision between the Solong and the Stena Immaculate'. He said: 'The Stena Immaculate remains at anchor. The Solong continues to be held in a safe location by tug. 'Small pockets of fire are still reported to be on the top deck of Solong and specialist vessels are supporting the firefighting efforts. 'Salvors will only board the vessels when it is safe to do so. Aerial surveillance flights will continue today to monitor the vessels.' He said the counter pollution and salvage team has a response in place 'should it be required'. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Thursday the situation was 'reasonably contained'. 'We're obviously monitoring it all of the time. In terms of the cause of it, that's yet to be determined', he said. 'There's a process now in place with an arrest. But we have to get to the bottom of it. 'But the immediate thing is to deal with the problem in front of us, which is the aftermath of the collision.' He added: 'I'd just like to acknowledge the good work of those that are actually out there doing really hard work in very difficult circumstances, which they did not expect to be in. 'I pay tribute to them.' Pressed on calls for a Cobra meeting to assess the potential environmental damage, he said: 'We are absolutely monitoring this 24/7 and I've got teams doing that and assuring me of what's going on. 'At the moment, the situation is reasonably contained. And, obviously, we will do whatever is necessary.' US-based maritime news website gCaptain said it was told by a US official at the White House that foul play had not been ruled out. Transport minister Mike Kane told MPs something went 'terribly wrong' for the crash to happen, but there was 'no evidence' of foul play. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), which will lead the safety probe into the incident, said the Solong 'altered course' at about 1.30am on Monday, as it passed to the east of Longstone lighthouse, on to 'a heading of approximately 150 degrees', which is a south-east direction. The crash happened eight hours and 17 minutes later. The ship was travelling at about 16.4 knots, the MAIB added, the equivalent land speed for which is 18.9mph. Container ships typically travel at 16-24 knots. A team of inspectors was immediately deployed, and inquiries have focused on gathering witness accounts and obtaining digital data, the MAIB said. Solong frequently travelled between Grangemouth in Scotland and Rotterdam and regularly used the route it took on the day of the collision, a statement added. 'Thirty-six crew from both vessels were recovered but tragically one member of crew from Solong remains unaccounted for,' the MAIB said. 'As well as continuing to gather witness accounts, further investigation work will look to establish the navigational practices on board both vessels, the manning and fatigue management, the condition and maintenance of the vessels involved, and the environmental conditions at the time.'
The Independent
13-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
North Sea collision: Police granted more time to question ship's captain
Police have been granted a time extension to question the Russian captain of a container ship that collided with a US oil tanker in the North Sea. The 59-year-old captain of the Solong, which struck the US tanker Stena Immaculate off the east coast of Yorkshire on Monday, will be detained for an additional 36 hours, Humberside Police said. The man was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and taken into police custody. Detective Chief Superintendent Craig Nicholson said: "An extension has been granted by the magistrates' court to detain the man in custody for a further 36 hours. 'Detectives are continuing to question him following his arrest on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the collision.' The force is also supporting the family of a Solong crew member who went missing after the crash and is presumed dead. Chief coastguard Paddy O'Callaghan said the Stena Immaculate remained at anchor, while the Solong was being held by a tug in a safe location. 'Small pockets of fire are still reported to be on the top deck of Solong and specialist vessels are supporting the firefighting efforts. 'Salvors will only board the vessels when it is safe to do so. Aerial surveillance flights will continue today to monitor the vessels.' He said the counter pollution and salvage team has a response in place 'should it be required'. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Thursday the situation was 'reasonably contained'. 'We're obviously monitoring it all of the time. In terms of the cause of it, that's yet to be determined,' he said. 'There's a process now in place with an arrest. But we have to get to the bottom of it. 'But the immediate thing is to deal with the problem in front of us, which is the aftermath of the collision.' He added: 'I'd just like to acknowledge the good work of those that are actually out there doing really hard work in very difficult circumstances, which they did not expect to be in. 'I pay tribute to them.' Pressed on calls for a Cobra meeting to assess the potential environmental damage, he said: 'We are absolutely monitoring this 24/7 and I've got teams doing that and assuring me of what's going on. 'At the moment, the situation is reasonably contained. And, obviously, we will do whatever is necessary.' US-based maritime news website gCaptain said it was told by a US official at the White House that foul play had not been ruled out. Transport minister Mike Kane told MPs something went 'terribly wrong' for the crash to happen, but there was 'no evidence' of foul play. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch, which will lead the safety probe into the incident, said the Solong 'altered course' at about 1.30am on Monday, as it passed to the east of Longstone lighthouse, on to 'a heading of approximately 150 degrees', which is a south-east direction. The crash happened eight hours and 17 minutes later. The ship was travelling at about 16.4 knots, the MAIB added, the equivalent land speed for which is 18.9mph. Container ships typically travel at 16-24 knots. A team of inspectors was immediately deployed, and inquiries have focused on gathering witness accounts and obtaining digital data, the MAIB said. Solong frequently travelled between Grangemouth in Scotland and Rotterdam and regularly used the route it took on the day of the collision, a statement added. 'Thirty-six crew from both vessels were recovered but tragically one member of crew from Solong remains unaccounted for,' the MAIB said. 'As well as continuing to gather witness accounts, further investigation work will look to establish the navigational practices on board both vessels, the manning and fatigue management, the condition and maintenance of the vessels involved, and the environmental conditions at the time.'
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
UK police extend North Sea crash captain's detention
The captain of a cargo ship that struck a tanker and sparked a massive blaze in the North Sea will be held in custody for a further 36 hours, UK police said Thursday. Officers want more time to question the 59-year-old Russian arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following Monday's incident, which left one crew member missing and presumed dead. Authorities are investigating how the Portuguese-flagged Solong cargo ship ran into the US-flagged Stena Immaculate, which was anchored about 13 miles (20 kilometres) off the northeastern English port of Hull. The tanker was chartered by the US military and carrying thousands of barrels of jet fuel. Earlier this week the UK government ruled out foul play. "An extension has been granted by the magistrates' court to detain the man in custody for a further 36 hours," said Craig Nicholson of Humberside Police. "Detectives are continuing to question him following his arrest on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the collision." The crash triggered huge fires aboard the two ships, which required a massive high-seas firefighting effort to bring under control. The UK coastguard said Thursday that "small pockets of fire" remained on the top deck of the Solong, which has been towed to a safe place. The blaze on the Stena Immaculate has been extinguished by Wednesday, according to its US-based operator. - 'Reasonably contained' - The UK coastguard rescued 36 people on Monday, including the Stena Immaculate's entire crew, but police say a missing member of the Solong vessel crew is presumed dead. On Thursday Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the situation was now "reasonably contained", but he stressed: "We have to get to the bottom of it." In a statement on Thursday, the UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch said it would seek to analyse devices that record voyage data from the vessels. It said it had already established that the Solong was taking a regular route between Grangemouth in Scotland and Rotterdam in The Netherlands on Monday. But it "altered course" at around 0130 GMT and struck the Stena Immaculate at 0947 GMT. At least one tank containing some of the 220,000 barrels of jet fuel on board the Stena Immaculate was "ruptured", said the tanker's US-based operator Crowley. But there were "no further reports of pollution to the sea" following the initial incident, said the UK's Maritime and Coastguard Agency. While the financial costs incurred from the incident are not clear, the Morningstar DBRS credit ratings agency estimates that total insured losses could range from $100 million to $300 million. lcm/jkb/jj
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Yahoo
Arrested ship's captain is Russian national
The captain of a cargo ship arrested after a collision with a tanker in the North Sea is a Russian national, the ship's owner has confirmed. Humberside Police said the 59-year-old man remained in custody after being arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter on Tuesday. The Portuguese-flagged Solong and the US-registered tanker Stena Immaculate crashed off the East Yorkshire coast at about 10:00 GMT on Monday. A missing crew member from the cargo ship is presumed dead after a search and rescue operation was called off late on Monday. Police said they had begun a criminal investigation into the cause of the collision and was working with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. On Tuesday, Det Ch Supt Craig Nicholson said: "Humberside Police have taken primacy for the investigation of any potential criminal offences which arise from the collision between the two vessels. "Extensive work has already been carried out, and we are working closely with our partners to understand what happened, and to provide support to all of those affected." HM Coastguard said 36 people had been rescued and taken safely to shore. The Stena Immaculate was carrying 220,000 barrels of aviation fuel to be used by the US military. Both ships caught fire after the collision triggering a major response from emergency services. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Cargo ship's captain arrested over North Sea crash 'A massive ship came out of the blue': Sailor recounts how North Sea collision unfolded
