SOLONG

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Latest news

Master of Solong arrested

There are still flames visible on the main deck of the 'Solong', as salvage operations are being arranged for both vessels. A tug line is now in place in an effort to hold the 'Solong' in a safer position offshore. Firefighting is focusing on the main deck. A salvage plan is being developed. For the 'Stena Immaculate', which remains at anchor, the fire on the vessel is greatly reduced with no flames visible. A comprehensive counter pollution response is in place, as the threat from the previously identified Dangerous Goods on board has reduced significantly. The Coastguard continues to engage actively with Humberside Police, salvors, the port authorities and other agencies to protect the public and the environment as far as possible while continuing to respond to the developing situation. The captain of the container ship was arrested by the Humveraide police, the owner of the 'Solong', the German firm Ernst Russ. They say that he, along with the rest of the crew, are assisting the investigation. Report with video: https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cgq1pwjlqq2t

Container ship and tanker on fire after collision off Lincolnshire

The 'Solong', en route from Grangemouth to Rotterdam, and the tanker 'Stena Immaculate' (IMO: 9693018), en route from Agio Theodoroi to Killingholme with a cargo of A-1 jet fuel for the US defence department, were in allision on the North Sea, about 13 nautical miles off the coast of Lincolnshire, on March 10, 2025, at 9.48 a.m. The 'Solong' hit the 'Stena Immaculate' at a speed of 16 knots, having maintained the same course over hours. The 'Solong' did even not immediately stop and drove into the tanker's side for what seemed like 10 minutes. It appeared nobody was on the bridge of the 'Solong' at the moment of the allision. There were multiple explosions and a massive fireball following the impact. Both ships were soon ablaze. The flames immediately began erupting from a ruptured tank, and the crew jumped into action, putting on protective gear to battle the blaze. Ater moments of fighting the inferno, they knew it was a lost cause, and a decision was made to abandon the ship and get into a lifeboat. Some of the sailors even had singed hair because the flames were so close. Some of the crew scrambled to the life rafts taking only what they had on them. The HM Coastguard was co-ordinating the emergency response. The Humber Coastguard broadcast a radio call asking for nearby ships with firefighting equipment, or which could help with search and rescue operations. A helicopter took off from Humberside and headed to the scene alongside the RNLI lifeboats from Skegness, Bridlington, Maplethorpe and Cleethorpes, and an HM Coastguard fixed wing aircraft, and nearby vessels with fire-fighting capability. The 'Svitzer Josephine' (IMO: 8919219) was the first to answer the Mayday call and accepted responsibility to proceed at best speed, with FiFi 1 capabilities. On the whole, three of Svitzer'S emergency response vessels responded, besides the 'Svitzer’s Josephine' the 'Svitzer Harty' (IMO: 9366861) and 'Svitzer Madeline' (IMO: 9127368), arriving simultaneously on scene. By 11.40 a.m. the Cleethorpes boat had been stood down while the boats from Bridlington, Mablethorpe and Skegness continued to support search and rescue efforts. The 'Stena Immaculate' was anchored in pos. 53° 44' N 000° 24' E, when the container ship ran into its side. It is not clear if any has entered the water or been burnt, but jet fuel has been released from the tanker into the sea from a ruptured tank. The 'Stena Immaculate' had come from a refinery in Corinth and did not to have delivered its oil before the allision. The ship was laden with about 142,000 barrels when it left Corinth, in support of the US Department of Defense. The crew of the 'Stena Immaculate' abandoned the vessel following multiple explosions onboard. On the whole 36 mariners have been brought ashore in Grimsby. One member of the 'Solong 'crew was still missing as night fell, according to the ship's Hamburg-based owner, Ernst Russ. The search is still underway. 13 of the 14 crew members of this ship were among those who have been brought safely ashore. The first ship, the 'Windcat 33', arrived with 13 people on board. The offshore windfarm vessel had been in the vicinity when the allision took place. It was followed by 10 casualties on a pilot boat operated by Associated British Ports, which owns the Port of Immingham, and a third vessel - a pilot boat - with the remaining casualties. There was a line of ambulances in Grimsby, waiting to take them to the Princess Diana hospital. The.emergency crews assessed 36 people at Grimsby's North Quay. obody was required to go to hospital. The 36 mariners of both crews are safe and accounted for at 2.30 p.m. Set up in 2023 under the Biden Government, the US Maritime Administration agency’s Tanker Security Program (TSP) has a number of commercial ships that are guaranteed to be available for US Government work at short notice. The '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 the Swedish owners Stena. The ship’s managing agent is the US company Crowley , which operates the vessel in a partnership with Stena Bulk. Crowley immediately initiated its emergency vessel response plan and is actively working with public agencies to contain the fire and secure the vessel. A three mile air exclusion zone has been put in place over the site of the collision off the Yorkshire coast. The Government issued a restriction that effectively bans pilots from flying over the accident site, which is a short distance north-east of Spurn Point on the northern bank of the Humber estuary. Pilots are forbidden to fly within the designated area without the permission of the Coastguard, said a notice to airmen. The zone extends up to 2,000ft above sea level. All four of the ports in the Humber have closed while rescuers and firefighting vessels carry out their duties. Associated British Ports are assisting the HM Coastguard and other relevant agencies with the response to the maritime incident in the North Sea. All vessel movements are currently suspended in the Humber. P&O Ferries said its departure times for scheduled sailings were unconfirmed. The company intends to operate those ships once the port is re-opened to traffic. Wildlife rescue groups are preparing for the impact on an oil spill along the east coast of Yorkshire. The Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue committee had met to discuss preparations to rescue oiled wildlife, particularly birds and are currently adapting the oil spill response protocols – originally designed for factory spills – to ensure to be prepared for the incident and have set up a dedicated oiled wildlife hotline for reporting affected animals in Cleethorpe. The group also urged locals to report sightings of oiled birds. Greenpeace UK was monitoring the situation. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has deployed a team to conduct a preliminary assessment, Preliminary reports suggested that poor visibility may have played a role in the allision. The 'Stena Immaculate’s heading was approx around 065⁰ when she was hit on her port side by the 'Solong' at 9:48:07 a..m. between the rear half of the 'Stena Immaculate’s length. After the collision, the tanker’s heading turned to heading 131⁰ (T) and took all of the 'Solong’s speed away. Both ships appeared to have remained in contact for around four minutes dragged south-east until 9:52:42 a.m. Maritime security sources said there was no indication of any malicious activity or other actors involved in the accident. Reports with photos and video: https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cgq1pwjlqq2t https://bridlingtonecho.co.uk/major-shipping-incident-on-north-sea-off-bridlington-after-vessels-collide/?fbclid=IwY2xjawI7yUZleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHUcbXuiYQMpLIczmEkMDD_-qLUGjeO_oMbyRv1VstFSFcXUpopLnBn7Tdg_aem_nTIyWjk22xLIlCy9IrM0JA https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/north-sea-stena-immaculate-oil-tanker-cargo-collision-yorkshire-b2712260.html https://www.offshore-energy.biz/foul-play-among-suspected-reasons-behind-oil-tanker-cargo-ship-north-sea-collision/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03/10/oil-tanker-cargo-ship-collide-north-sea/ https://news.sky.com/story/what-we-know-about-north-sea-oil-tanker-and-cargo-ship-collision-13325883 https://uk.news.yahoo.com/live/oil-tanker-crash-north-sea-latest-news-122624396.html

Search for missing seafarer called off - ships still ablaze

During the night, the British Coast Guard has called off the search for a missing crew member of the on the whole 14 crew members of the 'Soliong' off Hull. On the whole 36 crew members were brought safely to shore. One crew member was taken to hospital with injuries. The two ships were still burning during the night, but had separated at 11.40 p.m., which would make the salvage less complicated. The "Stena Immaculate" was carrying aircraft fuel, among other things. The "Solong", belonging to the Hamburg shipping company Ernst Russ, was carrying several containers of poisonous sodium cyanide, among other things. It was yet unclear whether any of this got into the water. The environmental organization Greenpeace was extremely concerned about the various toxic dangers that these chemicals could pose to marine life. Kerosene leaked into the water near a resting place for porpoises. The Cuxhaven-based emergency command sent the multi-purpose ship 'Mellum' (IMO: 8301981) to provide support, which sailed from Heligoland on Feb 10 at 1.30 p.m. and is due to arrive in Kingston-upon-Hull on Feb 11 at noon.. In addition to its crew, it has an employee of the emergency command and a specialist advisor from the Bremerhaven professional fire brigade on board. The emergency command also put a DO 228 aircraft, which is stationed in Nordholz (Cuxhaven district), on standby, which can use cameras and sensors to help identify pollutants in the water. The aircraft could take offon the morning if the weather conditions on site allow it to be used sensibly. The tugs 'Multratug 35' (IMO: 9964039) and 'Multratug 36' (IMO: 9985289) could attempt to take the 'Solong' in tow south of the accident site. Also the 'Eems Wrester' (IMO: 8843549) and 'Svitzer Castle' (IMO: 9316397) were attending on scene. The company Boskalis has been commissioned to salvage the 'Stena Immaculate' and has deployed four ships. The maritime service provider from Papendrecht signed a contract with the tanker owner during the night. The most important thing was to cool the sides of the tanker. Only when the temperature is below a certain level they cam start salvage work. The fire was still raging on board the 'Stena Immaculate' on March 11. As the tanker was at anchor when the collision occurred, it was not adrift. According to initial assumptions, the container ship was sailing at full speed into the tanker, and it was yet unknown, how extensive the damage is. Part of the damage was under water. Aerial images seemed to show that the tanker was no longer on fire, but salvage crews needed to get closer to be sure. It was hoped that later on March 11 they get close enough to the vessel to take temperature readings to determine if the fire is out. It would be premature to say the fire is out on before, because they don't know what is happening below deck. The tanker's built in firefighting systems appeared to be functioning. Reports with photos and video: https://bridlingtonecho.co.uk/north-sea-shipping-incident-updates-and-what-has-happened-so-far-11th-march-2025/ https://www.telegraaf.nl/video/2027756776/nieuwe-beelden-brandende-olietanker-op-noordzee-van-dichtbij-gefilmd https://ca.news.yahoo.com/north-sea-crash-tanker-ship-104737244.html Video of collision course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRPjnVwYysQ&t=326s