On 10 March, the container ship Solong allided with the tanker Stena Immaculate on the North Sea resulting in fires on both vessels and a major salvage operation. The container ship has now been towed to Aberdeen, while lightering operations of the Stena Immaculate began over the weekend.
The container ship Solong struck 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 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 eventually called off, with this crew member presumed dead.
On Tuesday, 11 March, the captain of the Solong, Vladimir Motin (59), 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: Salvors board Stena Immaculate and Solong, nurdles discovered
Solong towed to Aberdeen
The Solong is the first to leave the site of the collision. Under tow by one tug and accompanied by another tug and a vessel with couter pollution measures, the vessel was taken to the Port of Aberdeen, where it arrived on 28 March, according to the HM (UK) Coastguard.
Chief Coastguard Paddy O’Callaghan said that in Aberdeen ‘further salvage operations will be undertaken.’
Also read: North Sea collision: Both vessels stable, captain arrested
Lightering of the Stena Immaculate
Operations are also moving into the next phase of salvage and recovery for the Stena Immaculate, reports Crowley, which manages the Stena Immaculate through a joint venture with owner Stena Bulk USA.
In a statement released on Friday, the company says: ‘Salvage crews are continuing to complete their assessments and preparing for cargo lightering operations. During the weekend of March 29-30, operations will commence at sea to transfer the remaining 202,485 barrels of Jet-A1 cargo from the Stena Immaculate tanker to tanker Fure Vyl, which is anchored nearby. This lightering operation is a standard and routine maritime practice that follows established safety protocols.’
Once the cargo has been safely transferred, the Fure Vyle will deliver the jet fuel to its original destination of Killingholme, UK. ‘The Stena Immaculate will be towed to Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, for further inspection anticipated to take place in early April,’ adds Crowley.
The cause of the accident is still unknown with authorities continuing the investigate the matter.
Also read: Smit Salvage called in for burning tanker on North Sea
Plastic nurdles
On 16 March, plastic nurdles were discovered in waters just off The Wash. Nurdles are small pellets of plastic resin used in plastics production, sized between 1-5 mm 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.
On Friday (28 March), O’Callaghan said that ‘HM Coastguard continues to support local authorities in their response to onshore pollution, including plastic nurdles, in both Norfolk and Lincolnshire. HM Coastguard will continue to keep the overall situation under close review.’
Picture: Solong pictured on 13 March 2025 (photo by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency).
Also read: Tanker and container ship on fire after colliding in North Sea
