Salvors have been able to board both the tanker Stena Immaculate and container ship Solong for damage assessments since Thursday, 13 March. In an update today, the HM (UK) Coastguard has revealed plastic nurdles have been discovered, with retrieval of these starting today.
The container ship Solong allided with the Stena Immaculate while the latter was at anchor at an offshore location near Hull, awaiting berth availability at the Port of Killingholme. The Solong was en route from Grangemouth, Scotland, to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The tanker was carrying jet fuel. After the collision, fires broke out on both vessels and jet fuel was of the Stena Immaculate was flowing out into the sea.
36 of the 37 crew members were rescued. A search for the missing crew member of the Solong was called off on Monday evening, with this crew member presumed dead.
On Tuesday, 11 March, the captain of the Solong, Vladimir Motin, 59-years-old, of Primorsky, St Petersburg, Russia, was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the collision. He was officially charged for this offence on 14 March.
Also read: North Sea collision: Both vessels stable, captain arrested
Salvors board vessels
With both vessels stable, the HM Coastguard reported late last Thursday that salvors, including of Smit Salvage, had been able to board both vessels for initial damage assessments. Only small periodic pockets of fire were still reported to be on the top deck of Solong, but these are being contained and monitored closely. Specialist vessels are present to support the firefighting effort.
UPDATE HM COASTGUARD WEDNESDAY 19 MARCH: ‘Fires on board the Solong have been extinguished and salvors are now accessing all parts of the vessel.’ And: ‘As the incident has now moved into the recovery phase, HM Coastguard has downgraded the assessment of the situation and no longer considers this to constitute a major incident. HM Coastguard will however continue to support the salvage and multiagency retrieval operations while keeping the overall situation under review.’
The location of the vessels remains unchanged – the Stena Immaculate remains at anchor. The Solong continues to be held in a safe location connected to a tug. The salvage process is ongoing and will take time to complete. A salvage and tow plan will be finalised working with the appropriate authorities.
Also read: Tanker and container ship on fire after colliding in North Sea
Only one tank on Stena Immaculate damaged
On Sunday, March 16, the Smit Salvage team has confirmed that damage resulting from the container ship Solong striking the Stena Immaculate was limited to one cargo tank containing Jet-A1 fuel and one ballast tank containing sea water.
At the time of the allision, the Stena Immaculate was carrying 220,000 barrels of Jet-A1 fuel. Based on an assessment by the salvage team, it has been confirmed that 17,515 barrels of Jet-A1 fuel have been lost due to the impact and fire. The remaining cargo and bunkers are secure.
‘Before being forced to abandon ship, the crew had the dedication and presence of mind to ensure fire monitors were active in order to provide boundary cooling water to the adjacent cargo tanks. Their heroic action limited damage to only the cargo tanks impacted due to the allision,’ says Cal Hayden, vice president, Crowley global ship management. Crowley manages the Stena Immaculate through a joint venture with owner Stena Bulk USA.
Also read: Smit Salvage called in for burning tanker on North Sea
Nurdles discovered
Chief Coastguard Paddy O’Callaghan: ‘Yesterday (16 March), the RNLI advised the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) of a sighting in waters just off the Wash of a sheen that we now know to be plastic nurdles. This was confirmed by aerial surveillance flights and other assets have subsequently been deployed. Some nurdles have now also been identified on the shore.’
Nurdles are small pellets of plastic resin used in plastics production, sized between 1-5mm in size and weighing less than a gram. It is likely that the nurdles entered the water at the point of collision. Salvage operations at the Solong and the Stena Immaculate have been continuing. Nurdles are not toxic, but they can present a risk to wildlife if ingested.
‘Retrieval has started today,’ adds O’Callaghan. ‘This is a developing situation and the Transport Secretary continues to be updated regularly.’
UPDATE 19 MARCH: ‘The counter pollution retrieval operation remains ongoing, with HM Coastguard and other specialist counter pollution assets continuing to assist this response,’ states HM Coastguard. ‘This includes supporting local authorities who are leading the onshore response in both Norfolk and Lincolnshire.’
Picture (top): Stena Immaculate pictured on 13 March 2025 (photo by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency).
