Police in the United Kingdom have arrested a man “on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter” after a collision in the North Sea between a cargo vessel and a tanker.
Humberside Police said on Tuesday that the 59-year-old was detained in connection with the previous day’s crash between Portuguese cargo ship Solong and the US-flagged Stena Immaculate oil tanker that caused an explosion and set the vessels ablaze.
The man, who was not named by police, has not been charged.
Junior transport minister Mike Kane said in Parliament that a crew member from the Solong was presumed dead and that it was “unlikely” the drifting cargo ship would stay afloat.
The remaining 36 crew members from the two vessels were brought safely ashore in the port of Grimsby, about 150 miles (240 kilometres) north of London, with no major injuries.
Authorities and operators of the vessels have yet to offer an explanation of how the crash happened, or why multiple safety systems on board modern vessels failed to prevent the crash.
Detective Chief Superintendent Craig Nicholson said in a statement that Humberside Police were playing a lead role in the “investigation of any potential criminal offences which arise from the collision”.
“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,” he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had said there did not appear to be any suggestion of “foul play”.
Environmental damage
Greenpeace UK expressed “serious concerns” on Tuesday about environmental damage from the collision, which had occured “close to environmentally sensitive areas”.
The Stena Immaculate was operating as part of the US government’s Tanker Security Program, a group of commercial vessels that can be contracted to carry fuel for the military when needed.
Its operator, US-based maritime management firm Crowley, said that it was carrying 220,000 barrels of Jet-A1 fuel in 16 tanks, at least one of which was ruptured.
It is feared the jet fuel cargo could pollute the sea, harming large colonies of protected seabirds in the area, including puffins and gannets and the fish on which they feed.
There had been fears that the Solong was carrying sodium cyanide, but shipping company Ernst Russ, which manages the vessel, said that was not the case.
Four empty containers on board that “previously contained the hazardous chemical” will “continue to be monitored,” it added.
The UK coast guard agency said on Tuesday that the Solong was “still alight”, while the fire on board the Stena Immaculate had “greatly diminished”.
It said the Solong was drifting south, away from the tanker, and a half-mile (about one kilometre) exclusion zone had been put in place around both ships.
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