One sailor was presumed to have died after the crash, and the unidentified man was taken into custody on suspicion of “manslaughter.”
British police arrested a man “on suspicion of gross negligence and manslaughter” following a collision between a cargo ship and a tanker in the North Sea.
Humberside police said Tuesday that the 59-year-old was taken into custody in connection with a crash between the Portuguese freighter Solong, which caused the explosion and burned the vessel, and the US-sized Stena Stena Immaculate Oil tanker.
The man not named by the police has not been charged.
Deputy Minister Mike Kane told Congress that Solon’s crew was presumed dead and it was “impossible” that a drifting cargo ship was floating.
The remaining 36 crew of the two ships were safely transported onto land at Grimsby Port, about 150 miles (240 km) north of London, with no major injuries.
Ship authorities and operators have not yet explained how the crash occurred or why multiple safety systems on modern vessels could not prevent the crash.
Detective Chief Principal Craig Nicholson said in a statement that Humberside police are playing a leading role in “investigating potential criminal crimes arising from a crash.”
“The extensive work has already been carried out and we are working closely with our partners to understand what happened and provide support to all those affected,” he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer said there appears to be no proposal for a “foul play.”
Environmental damage
Greenpeace UK on Tuesday expressed “serious concern” about environmental damage caused by the collision “close to environmentally sensitive areas.”
Stena Immaculate operated as part of the US government’s Tanker Security Program, a group of commercial vessels that could be contracted to carry military fuel when necessary.
Its operator, Crowley, a US-based maritime management company, said it carried 220,000 barrels of Jet-A1 fuel to 16 tanks.
They fear that jet-fuel cargo could pollute the ocean and harm large colonies of protected seabirds, including the right gannets, gannets and fish-keeping fish.
There were concerns that Solon might carry sodium cyanide, but Ernst Russ, the shipping company that manages the ship, said it was not.
Four empty containers that “previously contained dangerous chemicals” added “continuing to be monitored.”
The British Coast Guard agency said Tuesday that Solon “still got off” and that the Stena Immaculate fire had “a significant reduction.”
Solon said he was drifting south away from the tanker, with a half-mile exclusion zone set up around both ships.
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