Solong crashed into the U.S. tanker Stena Immaculate off the East Yorkshire coast Monday.
LONDON — The captain of a cargo ship which collided with a tanker containing U.S. armed forces jet fuel in the North Sea is a Russian national, according to the ship’s owners.
Ernst Russ AG, the German owner of the Portuguese-flagged Solong, told Reuters the 59-year-old captain, who was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter following the incident on Monday morning, is Russian.
Solong crashed into the U.S. tanker Stena Immaculate off the East Yorkshire coast. The tanker was carrying around 35 million liters of aviation fuel for the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command.
United States, Portuguese and British authorities are still probing the North Sea crash that set both vessels alight and triggered a major rescue operation.
The British government said Tuesday there was “no evidence” of foul play, and confirmed one sailor was assumed dead following the collision. CBS News cited an unnamed American sailor on board the Stena Immaculate who said “a massive ship came from out of the blue” and collided with the tanker.
Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Superintendent Craig Nicholson said Tuesday night after announcing the man had been taken into custody: “Extensive work has already been carried out and we are working closely with our partners to understand what happened, and to provide support to all of those affected.
“Following inquiries undertaken by my team, we have arrested a 59-year-old man on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the collision, this follows the conclusion of search operations by HM Coastguard for the missing crew member of the Solong.”
This developing story is being updated.