A 59-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter after the collision between a tanker and a cargo vessel in the North Sea.
The incident happened near the Humber estuary, off the coast of north-east Lincolnshire, on Monday and involved US tanker Stena Immaculate and Portuguese cargo ship Solong.
Stena Immaculate was carrying 220,000 barrels of jet fuel in 16 segregated cargo tanks, at least one of which “was ruptured” when it was struck – prompting a major emergency response.
While 36 people were safely brought ashore, one crew member is still missing and presumed dead.
Here is a timeline of the events:
– February 27
5am: The Stena Immaculate departs Agioi Theodorio in Greece, transporting jet fuel to Immingham on behalf of the US military.
– March 9
6.16pm: The Stena Immaculate anchors roughly 10 miles off the coast of Withernsea, East Yorkshire.
8.07pm: The Solong leaves Grangemouth, Scotland, bound for Rotterdam, with arrival scheduled for the following evening.
– March 10
9.48am: HM Coastguard receives reports of an allision – a term used when a moving ship strikes a stationary object – involving the two vessels in the Humber estuary’s outer anchorage.
10.20am: Four RNLI lifeboats are dispatched following reports of crew members abandoning ship and fires on board.
11.28am: East Midlands Ambulance Service sends multiple units, including its hazardous area response team (HART), following a 999 call.
1.30pm: Martyn Boyers, chief executive officer of the Port of Grimsby East, confirms 32 casualties have been brought to shore.
2.20pm: The US-based marine news outlet gCaptain reports that the US government has not ruled out foul play, citing an unnamed White House source.
2.36pm: Crowley, the company that operates the Stena Immaculate, confirms that the vessel is leaking jet fuel but that its entire crew is accounted for.
2.38pm: The Marine Accident Investigation Branch confirms it has deployed investigators to Grimsby to assess the situation.
4.34pm: A spokesperson for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer describes the incident as “deeply concerning”.
7.46pm: Ernst Russ, the Solong’s owner, confirms that 13 of its 14 crew members have made it safely ashore, but one person is still missing.
9.30pm: HM Coastguard states the search for the missing Solong crew member has been stood down, though 36 people have been successfully rescued.
11.20pm: The Solong breaks away from the Stena Immaculate and starts drifting southwards. A 1km exclusion zone is established as a precaution.
– March 11
12.06pm: HM Coastguard clarifies that one individual was treated for injuries at the scene and did not require hospital care, contrary to earlier reports.
12.27pm: Ernst Russ addresses speculation, confirming that the Solong was not carrying sodium cyanide.
12.57pm: Transport Minister Mike Kane tells Parliament that the missing Solong crew member is now presumed dead.
He added: “Whether there was foul play, I think is speculation. There is no evidence to suggest that at the moment”.
15.31pm: Humberside Police announce a 59-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter following the collision.
