Both vessels ‘stable’ after North Sea collision

HM Coastguard also said there did not appear to be any pollution leaking into the sea from either vessel.

The Russian captain of the Solong has been arrested.

Boskalis subsidiary SMIT Salvage, the appointed salvor for Stena Immaculate, sent five personnel, including a marine chemist, ‘to measure and monitor toxic fumes’ on the vessel, a Boskalis spokesperson said.

“During the inspections, a smouldering fire was located in a storage area which was successfully extinguished. The state of the engine room was inspected and it was confirmed that electricity power is still available. The salvage crew also took measures to make it possible to (de)board the vessel in a safe manner. Following a productive half day on board, the salvage crew left the vessel.

“On Friday 14 March, the salvage crew will return to the casualty (subject to weather conditions). Work is expected to include assessing the state of storage tanks. The salvage crew continues to work in close consultation with the authorities and experts.”

Solong was said to be carrying empty containers that had contained cyanide, though Maritime Journal is awaiting confirmation of this. Solong  is owned by German shipping company Ernst Russ, which on Monday said 13 of the 14 crew had been brought to shore. The missing crew member has still not been found.

Stena Immaculate, owned by a joint venture between US logistics company Crowley and Stena Bulk, was loaded with 220,000 barrels of aviation jet fuel, segregated in 18 cargo holds, just one of which reportedly ruptured. The fuel was reportedly for the US military.

Yesterday, Stena Bulk said fire on board Stena Immaculate was out, the vessel was securely anchored and was being continuously monitored via a salvage vessel.

“Initial third-party salvage operations for the Stena Immaculate have commenced, with external vessel assessments indicating no ongoing release of cargo product to the water and no sheen visible on the water surface,” a Stena Bulk statement said. “The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency confirmed on Wednesday that there have been no further reports of pollution to the sea from the Stena Immaculate.”

All crew were being looked after in Grimsby, the company said.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) will lead the safety probe and once safe to do so will inspect bopth vessels and retrieve the Voyage Data Recorders from both vessels.

“From the initial enquiries made it is known that Solong frequently travelled between Grangemouth and Rotterdam and regularly used the route it took on the day of the collision,” says the MAIB. “On Monday morning at 0130 UTC, Solong passed to the east of the Longstone lighthouse and altered course onto a heading of approximately 150° at a speed of about 16.4 knots.

“At 0947 UTC it struck the Stena Immaculate that was at anchor off the entrance to the River Humber. 36 crew from both vessels were recovered but tragically one member of crew from Solong remains unaccounted for.

“As well as continuing to gather witness accounts, further investigation work will look to establish the navigational practices on board both vessels; the manning and fatigue management; the condition and maintenance of the vessels involved; and the environmental conditions at the time.”