Latest news with #ErikHanell
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Yahoo
Only one tank containing jet fuel damaged in ship crash off Britain
LONDON (Reuters) - Only one tank filled with jet fuel was damaged after the U.S. military-contracted tanker that was transporting a shipment was struck by a cargo ship off England's northeast coast, U.S. logistics firm Crowley said. The tanker, Stena Immaculate, which can carry tens of thousands of tons of jet fuel, was at anchor on March 10 off Humberside when it was struck by the smaller Solong. Fires and explosions broke out. Crowley, which manages the tanker, said in a statement on Sunday the third-party salvage team had confirmed damage "was limited to one cargo tank containing Jet-A1 fuel and one ballast tank containing sea water". It said on March 12 the vessel was carrying 16 tanks. Out of the 220,000 barrels of jet fuel the Stena Immaculate was carrying, Crowley said 17,515 were lost due to the impact and three-day fire. The logistics firm also commended the crew for triggering a firefighting system before abandoning the ship. Erik Hanell, chief executive of Stena Immaculate owner Stena Bulk, previously told Reuters earlier that two of 18 fuel tanks had leaked, with an estimated 10% of the cargo. The Russian captain of the Portuguese-flagged Solong, Vladimir Motin, appeared in Hull Magistrates' Court on Saturday after being charged with gross negligence manslaughter over the death of Filipino national and Solong crew member Mark Angelo Pernia. Motin did not make an application for bail and was remanded in custody to appear in court in London on April 14.
Reuters
17-03-2025
- Reuters
Only one tank containing jet fuel damaged in ship crash off Britain
LONDON, March 17 (Reuters) - Only one tank filled with jet fuel was damaged after the U.S. military-contracted tanker that was transporting a shipment was struck, opens new tab by a cargo ship off England's northeast coast, U.S. logistics firm Crowley said. The tanker, Stena Immaculate, which can carry tens of thousands of tons of jet fuel, was at anchor on March 10 off Humberside when it was struck by the smaller Solong. Fires and explosions broke out. Crowley, which manages the tanker, said in a statement on Sunday the third-party salvage team had confirmed damage "was limited to one cargo tank containing Jet-A1 fuel and one ballast tank containing sea water". It said on March 12 the vessel was carrying 16 tanks. Out of the 220,000 barrels of jet fuel the Stena Immaculate was carrying, Crowley said 17,515 were lost due to the impact and three-day fire. The logistics firm also commended the crew for triggering a firefighting system before abandoning the ship. Erik Hanell, chief executive of Stena Immaculate owner Stena Bulk, previously told Reuters earlier that two of 18 fuel tanks had leaked, with an estimated 10% of the cargo. The Russian captain of the Portuguese-flagged Solong, Vladimir Motin, appeared in Hull Magistrates' Court on Saturday after being charged with gross negligence manslaughter over the death of Filipino national and Solong crew member Mark Angelo Pernia. Motin did not make an application for bail and was remanded in custody to appear in court in London on April 14.
Reuters
12-03-2025
- Reuters
Jet fuel cargo mostly intact on Stena Immaculate after ship collision off UK, says ship owner
LONDON, March 12 (Reuters) - Most of the jet fuel onboard the U.S.-flagged tanker Stena Immaculate that was hit by a container ship in a collision off Britain's coast remains contained and only two of the vessel's 18 fuel tanks have leaked, owner Stena Bulk said on Wednesday. The Portuguese-flagged Solong container ship crashed into the tanker carrying jet fuel for the U.S. military, on Monday. British police have arrested Solong's captain on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter. "(There's) no fire any longer" on the Stena Immaculate, Stena Bulk's Chief Executive Erik Hanell told Reuters. "We will have a much clearer picture in the next 24-48 hours on the whole salvage operation." The Stena Immaculate remains stationary at anchor and is being monitored by Stena Bulk representatives, government authorities and executives from U.S. logistics group Crowley, which manages the vessel, Stena Bulk said separately on Wednesday. Hanell said two of the vessel's 18 fuel tanks had leaked, with an estimated 10% of the cargo. "The total volume (of jet fuel) onboard is around 50,000 cubic metres, so I guess that's roughly the maximum amount ... hopefully less than that," he said. Hanell had met with the vessel's 23 American crew members and they were in good health, he said. Ernst Russ, the German company that owned the Portuguese-flagged Solong, confirmed on Wednesday that the captain was Russian. The rest of the 14-strong crew, one of whom is missing and presumed dead, were Russian and Filipino nationals. Hanell said the fire onboard the Solong was somewhat under control based on his understanding of the situation, adding that the exact details of what happened were under investigation. US MILITARY PROGRAMME Gothenburg-headquartered Stena Bulk has around 18 active crude tankers and 40 oil products and chemical tankers. The company has two other products tankers under management with Crowley that are part of the US Tanker Security Program (TSP), which can be used by the Department of Defense to transport fuel supplies for the U.S. military. There are only 10 tankers in the TSP, so with the Stena Immaculate out of action, it is likely to cause logistics challenges for the U.S. military, shipping industry sources said. Hanell said there had been no discussions yet in terms of any back up options in relation to the TSP programme. "Commercial challenges will be discussed in the next week or so," he said.
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Both vessels are abandoning,' said the coastguard after ships collided and became infernos
'Solong collided with tanker Stena Immaculate. Both vessels are abandoning. Vessels who have firefighting equipment or who can assist with search and rescue, contact Humber Coastguard on channel 16.' Broadcast at 10am on a foggy Monday morning, the cold and impartial radio distress call cut straight to the heart about what had just happened off the East Yorkshire coast. The MV Solong, a 7,850-tonne container ship, had crashed into the anchored tanker Stena Immaculate a few miles from the Humber estuary, which is home to Britain's busiest commercial port at Immingham. The Prime Minister's spokesman said it was an 'extremely concerning situation' and a US government source told one maritime blog that foul play could not be ruled out as a cause of the crash. A ship such as the Stena Immaculate, carrying a volatile and highly flammable cargo, could have been an ideal target for a group trying to disrupt US military operations. Although a civilian vessel, the ship had been chartered by the US Military Sealift Command as part of a scheme where American-registered tankers previously nominated by their operators are called up for government duty. The tanker had been carrying just under 35 million litres of Jet-A1 aviation fuel – and the collision had ruptured her cargo tanks, spilling her 220,000-barrel payload into the North Sea, operator Crowley-Stena confirmed. Meanwhile, the Portuguese-registered, German-owned Solong had been carrying 16 containers of highly toxic sodium cyanide, according to shipping data company Lloyd's List Intelligence. The result was a fire that appeared to consume both vessels in videos which showed black smoke across the horizon. The crews of both ships abandoned them as fire and explosions ripped through their hulls. Lifeboats and Coastguard aircraft were scrambled in short order, while the RNLI said that four of its life-saving craft were dispatched to the scene. Erik Hanell, the chief executive of Stena Bulk, confirmed the crew of 23 aboard the Stena Immaculate were safe. Yet on Monday night, one crewman was still missing from the Solong's 14-strong complement. Set up in 2023 under the Biden government, the US Maritime Administration agency's tanker security programme (TSP) has a number of commercial ships that are guaranteed to be available for US government work at short notice. Stena Immaculate was one of three vessels made available to the scheme in 2023 by American company Crowley, which manages the ships' day-to-day operations through a joint venture with Swedish owners Stena. 'The TSP accomplishes two key maritime sealift objectives: it grows our US-flagged fleet and it significantly expands our ability to deliver vital fuel supplies to support military missions across the globe,' said Ann Phillips, the US Maritime administrator, at the scheme's launch in 2023. Data from ship-tracking website Marine Traffic suggested that the Solong container ship had been doing 16 knots (18.4mph) at the time of impact. If the collision was not deliberate, then maritime experts said negligence on behalf of the Solong's crew seemed probable. Dr Abdul Khalique, head of the Maritime Centre at Liverpool John Moores University, who has used a simulator to analyse the incident, 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. He continued: 'After the collision, MV Stena Immaculate's heading turned to heading 131⁰ and took all of MV Solong's speed away. Both ships appear to have remained in contact for around four minutes, [dragging] south-east until 9:52:42.' Chris Parry, a retired Royal Navy rear admiral, said the Humber estuary was 'well known' for ships lying at anchor a short distance offshore. 'It's rather like driving at speed through a Sainsbury's car park when you know there are cars there,' he said. 'Somebody clearly hasn't taken notice, they've disregarded all the sensors they've got to tell them where they are and what's around them. 'And I'm afraid to say it looks like negligence at first sight,' he told the BBC. Tom Sharpe, another retired Navy officer, said: 'T-bone [collisions] like that are quite rare. 'One ship always has an obligation to keep out of the way of the other in a crossing situation until it becomes inevitable as a collision, and then you both have an obligation to try and minimise that collision. 'It's very possible that the American ship was up on the VHF [radio] calling them for ages, saying, 'You're on a steady bearing, what are your intentions?'' A steady bearing, Mr Sharpe explained, means the oncoming ship is head-on – its relative bearing, or position, from the anchored ship was not changing. 'I would rule out any conspiracies or terrorism to as near zero as you can at this point of the investigation,' he added. Experts suggested that weather, as well as poor watchkeeping aboard the Solong, could have played a significant part in the accident. Visibility in the Humber area was poor on Monday morning, the Met Office said, with wind gusts of 25mph amid misty conditions. A spokesman for Britain's Marine Accident Investigation Branch said a team had been deployed to Grimsby. 'Our team of inspectors and support staff are gathering evidence and undertaking a preliminary assessment of the accident to determine our next steps,' said the spokesman. Meanwhile, attention onshore was turning towards the environmental impact of up to 35 million litres of jet fuel spilling into the sea and potentially washing up on beaches. Harj Narulla, an environmental law barrister from Doughty Street Chambers, said the costs of cleaning up a spill could eventually be measured in the tens of millions of pounds. 'Based on previous maritime spills in the UK, like the 1996 Sea Empress spill which was estimated to cause £60-116 million in damage, and the 1993 MV Braer spill, which caused estimated damage of around $168 million, I would say that damage could run to tens of millions of pounds,' Mr Narulla told The Telegraph. In addition to the impact of the fuel spill, fears were growing about the spill of sodium cyanide from the Solong. The poisonous chemical can have serious adverse health effects for those who come into direct physical contact with it. It is used in industry for metal cleaning, plating and extraction and can cause seizures, vomiting and loss of consciousness. It is known to be highly toxic to aquatic life, to the point where it is used to stun and kill large numbers of sea creatures at once by illegal fishing operations. In January 2000, a spillage occurred in Romania, when waste containing sodium cyanide flowed into the River Tisza, a tributary of the Danube, following a dam burst at a goldmine. The accident killed about 80 per cent of fish in the river and devastated local populations of birds and other animals. Despite the Solong appearing to have rammed the anchored Stena Immaculate, Narulla said the responsibility for the spill would not immediately be laid at the feet of the Solong's crew and owners. 'The Stena Immaculate and its insurers are strictly liable under UK law for any oil pollution coming from its cargo,' the barrister said. 'Similarly, both the Solong and Stena Immaculate and their insurers would be liable for any pollution coming from bunker oil released from the vessels.' Meanwhile, Mike Ross, the leader of Hull city council, said communities were 'very concerned' about the consequences of the accident. 'My thoughts go out to all those involved in this terrible incident,' he told the BBC. He said he had already received numerous calls from people in Grimsby and the surrounding area. 'I'm sure there's going to be a lot of concern in the coming hours and days – there's a lot to unpack,' he added. A spokesman for the Solong's Hamburg-based owner Ernst Russ said that 13 of the 14 Solong crew members had been brought safely ashore, with efforts to locate the missing crewman ongoing. A statement on Monday night said: 'Both vessels have sustained significant damage in the impact of the collision and the subsequent fire. 'Ernst Russ immediately activated an emergency response team, and the company remains in contact with them, the Master of Solong and all relevant marine authorities at Humberside. 'The first priority is the safety of the crew(s), all responders and the environment.' Crowley said the Stena Immaculate was under operation as part of the US government's tanker security programme. A spokesman said the company was 'actively working with public agencies to contain the fire and secure the vessel' and that its 'first priority is the safety of the people and environment'. 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.
Telegraph
10-03-2025
- General
- Telegraph
‘Both vessels are abandoning,' said the coastguard after ships collided and became infernos
'Solong collided with tanker Stena Immaculate. Both vessels are abandoning. Vessels who have firefighting equipment or who can assist with search and rescue, contact Humber Coastguard on channel 16.' Broadcast at 10am on a foggy Monday morning, the cold and impartial radio distress call cut straight to the heart about what had just happened off the East Yorkshire coast. The MV Solong, a 7,850-tonne container ship, had crashed into the anchored tanker Stena Immaculate a few miles from the Humber estuary, which is home to Britain's busiest commercial port at Immingham. The Prime Minister's spokesman said it was an 'extremely concerning situation' and a US government source told one maritime blog that foul play could not be ruled out as a cause of the crash. A ship such as the Stena Immaculate, carrying a volatile and highly flammable cargo, could have been an ideal target for a group trying to disrupt US military operations. Although a civilian vessel, the ship had been chartered by the US Military Sealift Command as part of a scheme where American-registered tankers previously nominated by their operators are called up for government duty. The tanker had been carrying just under 35 million litres of Jet-A1 aviation fuel – and the collision had ruptured her cargo tanks, spilling her 220,000-barrel payload into the North Sea, operator Crowley-Stena confirmed. Meanwhile, the Portuguese-registered, German-owned Solong had been carrying 16 containers of highly toxic sodium cyanide, according to shipping data company Lloyd's List Intelligence. The result was a fire that appeared to consume both vessels in videos which showed black smoke across the horizon. The crews of both ships abandoned them as fire and explosions ripped through their hulls. Lifeboats and Coastguard aircraft were scrambled in short order, while the RNLI said that four of its life-saving craft were dispatched to the scene. Erik Hanell, the chief executive of Stena Bulk, confirmed the crew of 23 aboard the Stena Immaculate were safe. Yet on Monday night, one crewman was still missing from the Solong's 14-strong complement. Set up in 2023 under the Biden government, the US Maritime Administration agency's tanker security programme (TSP) has a number of commercial ships that are guaranteed to be available for US government work at short notice. Stena Immaculate was one of three vessels made available to the scheme in 2023 by American company Crowley, which manages the ships' day-to-day operations through a joint venture with Swedish owners Stena. 'The TSP accomplishes two key maritime sealift objectives: it grows our US-flagged fleet and it significantly expands our ability to deliver vital fuel supplies to support military missions across the globe,' said Ann Phillips, the US Maritime administrator, at the scheme's launch in 2023. Data from ship-tracking website Marine Traffic suggested that the Solong container ship had been doing 16 knots (18.4mph) at the time of impact. If the collision was not deliberate, then maritime experts said negligence on behalf of the Solong's crew seemed probable. Dr Abdul Khalique, head of the Maritime Centre at Liverpool John Moores University, who has used a simulator to analyse the incident, 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. He continued: 'After the collision, MV Stena Immaculate's heading turned to heading 131⁰ and took all of MV Solong's speed away. Both ships appear to have remained in contact for around four minutes, [dragging] south-east until 9:52:42.' Chris Parry, a retired Royal Navy rear admiral, said the Humber estuary was 'well known' for ships lying at anchor a short distance offshore. 'It's rather like driving at speed through a Sainsbury's car park when you know there are cars there,' he said. 'Somebody clearly hasn't taken notice, they've disregarded all the sensors they've got to tell them where they are and what's around them. 'And I'm afraid to say it looks like negligence at first sight,' he told the BBC. Tom Sharpe, another retired Navy officer, said: 'T-bone [collisions] like that are quite rare. 'One ship always has an obligation to keep out of the way of the other in a crossing situation until it becomes inevitable as a collision, and then you both have an obligation to try and minimise that collision. 'It's very possible that the American ship was up on the VHF [radio] calling them for ages, saying, 'You're on a steady bearing, what are your intentions?'' A steady bearing, Mr Sharpe explained, means the oncoming ship is head-on – its relative bearing, or position, from the anchored ship was not changing. 'I would rule out any conspiracies or terrorism to as near zero as you can at this point of the investigation,' he added. Experts suggested that weather, as well as poor watchkeeping aboard the Solong, could have played a significant part in the accident. Visibility in the Humber area was poor on Monday morning, the Met Office said, with wind gusts of 25mph amid misty conditions. A spokesman for Britain's Marine Accident Investigation Branch said a team had been deployed to Grimsby. 'Our team of inspectors and support staff are gathering evidence and undertaking a preliminary assessment of the accident to determine our next steps,' said the spokesman. Meanwhile, attention onshore was turning towards the environmental impact of up to 35 million litres of jet fuel spilling into the sea and potentially washing up on beaches. Harj Narulla, an environmental law barrister from Doughty Street Chambers, said the costs of cleaning up a spill could eventually be measured in the tens of millions of pounds. 'Based on previous maritime spills in the UK, like the 1996 Sea Empress spill which was estimated to cause £60-116 million in damage, and the 1993 MV Braer spill, which caused estimated damage of around $168 million, I would say that damage could run to tens of millions of pounds,' Mr Narulla told The Telegraph. In addition to the impact of the fuel spill, fears were growing about the spill of sodium cyanide from the Solong. The poisonous chemical can have serious adverse health effects for those who come into direct physical contact with it. It is used in industry for metal cleaning, plating and extraction and can cause seizures, vomiting and loss of consciousness. It is known to be highly toxic to aquatic life, to the point where it is used to stun and kill large numbers of sea creatures at once by illegal fishing operations. In January 2000, a spillage occurred in Romania, when waste containing sodium cyanide flowed into the River Tisza, a tributary of the Danube, following a dam burst at a goldmine. The accident killed about 80 per cent of fish in the river and devastated local populations of birds and other animals. Despite the Solong appearing to have rammed the anchored Stena Immaculate, Narulla said the responsibility for the spill would not immediately be laid at the feet of the Solong's crew and owners. 'The Stena Immaculate and its insurers are strictly liable under UK law for any oil pollution coming from its cargo,' the barrister said. 'Similarly, both the Solong and Stena Immaculate and their insurers would be liable for any pollution coming from bunker oil released from the vessels.' 'Terrible incident' Meanwhile, Mike Ross, the leader of Hull city council, said communities were 'very concerned' about the consequences of the accident. 'My thoughts go out to all those involved in this terrible incident,' he told the BBC. He said he had already received numerous calls from people in Grimsby and the surrounding area. 'I'm sure there's going to be a lot of concern in the coming hours and days – there's a lot to unpack,' he added. A spokesman for the Solong's Hamburg-based owner Ernst Russ said that 13 of the 14 Solong crew members had been brought safely ashore, with efforts to locate the missing crewman ongoing. A statement on Monday night said: 'Both vessels have sustained significant damage in the impact of the collision and the subsequent fire. 'Ernst Russ immediately activated an emergency response team, and the company remains in contact with them, the Master of Solong and all relevant marine authorities at Humberside. 'The first priority is the safety of the crew(s), all responders and the environment.' Crowley said the Stena Immaculate was under operation as part of the US government's tanker security programme. A spokesman said the company was 'actively working with public agencies to contain the fire and secure the vessel' and that its 'first priority is the safety of the people and environment'.
