Negligent homicide?

Arrested man is captain of container ship

The captain of the Solong is being investigated on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter.

(Bild: Dan Kitwood)

The man arrested on Tuesday in connection with the dramatic accident in the North Sea is the captain of the container ship Solong. The Russian is now facing charges of involuntary manslaughter - a crew member of his ship is missing and presumed dead. 

On Monday, the container ship collided with the 183-meter-long oil freighter Stena Immaculate. The accident occurred 20 kilometers off the coast of East Yorkshire. The collision caused a huge fireball and the ships were still burning on Tuesday evening. Crowley, the Florida-based co-owner of the stricken oil tanker, said that the fire on board the ship had "largely subsided and no flames were visible".

Collision at around 30 km/h
A US seaman working on the oil freighter said that the huge container ship had appeared "out of the blue" before ramming into his anchored vessel. Another seaman told the BBC that the Solong had crashed into the Stena Immaculate at 16 knots (about 29 km/h). 

The Stena Immaculate after the accident

(Bild: Dan Kitwood)

"The arrested man is currently still in custody while the investigation continues. We are continuing to speak to all parties involved to establish the full circumstances of the incident," said lead investigator Craig Nicholson on the arrest. The ship's owner confirmed that the 59-year-old captain had been arrested. "Out of respect for the investigation and all parties involved, we will not comment further at this time," explained the German company Ernst Russ.

The skipper is always responsible for a ship - this includes navigation and safety on board. Both the captain and his crew are cooperating with the investigation, the shipping company added. They are supporting the family of the missing crew member, said Ernst Russ.

After a large-scale, twelve-hour rescue operation using lifeboats, 36 people were brought safely ashore. One sailor had to be taken to hospital and there is no trace of a crew member. 

Flames blazed shortly after the crash
A sailor from the Stenna Immaculate described the chaotic scenes on board. He only had seconds to react after being told to get ready before the devastating impact. The Solong drove into his ship for what felt like ten minutes, while flames immediately flared up around him, he added. On the oil freighter, all crew members were found unharmed - shortly afterwards the crew left the ship in a lifeboat, with the captain being the last to disembark. The evacuation only took around 30 minutes.

(Bild: Dan Kitwood)

Fog is said to have made visibility difficult
According to the Independent, the British government stated that initial investigations had not indicated that the incident was the result of foul play. An expert told the newspaper that a computer reconstruction suggested that the Solong's crew were to blame for the accident. There may have been poor visibility, said Abdul Khalique, head of the maritime center at Liverpool John Moores University.

"But if the watch commanders had kept a proper lookout with the radar, they would have recognized this immediate risk of collision and taken action to prevent a collision," says the expert. The head of the Port of Grimsby East told Sky News that it was "very foggy" in the area on Monday morning. 

The authorities expect both ships to remain afloat. UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the Solong "could be towed away from the coast and salvage work could begin".

It is still unclear how much fuel has leaked into the sea - initial estimates assume that the impact will be limited. Some of the kerosene has burned off and evaporated.