Captain arrested in North Sea ship crash with US-flagged tanker is Russian national
LONDON − The ship's captain arrested in connection with a crash into a U.S.-flagged tanker off the coast of England is a Russian national, the German company that owns the vessel said Wednesday.
The Solong crashed into the Stena Immaculate, a tanker carrying jet fuel for the U.S. military, on Monday. A day later, British police arrested the Solong's captain on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
Police said the captain, 59, remained in custody.
Hamburg-based owner Ernst Russ said the captain of the Portuguese-flagged Solong was Russian, and the rest of the crew was a mix of Russian and Filipino nationals.
The Stena Immaculate was at anchor when it was struck by the smaller Solong. The impact set off huge fires and explosions that left one crew member missing presumed dead. The crash also released fuel into the sea, which led to fears of environmental damage.
As speculation about the cause of the collision mounted, the Telegraph newspaper reported that the Solong had failed steering-related safety checks last year, citing a routine safety check carried out by Irish authorities in Dublin in July.
(Reporting by Jonathan Saul and Muvija M, writing by Sarah Young, editing by Paul Sandle)