Captain of cargo ship that collided with oil tanker in North Sea arrested
The 59-year-old Russian national is charged with manslaughter.
The cargo ship Solong after the collision with the Stena Immaculate.
The captain of the freighter who was arrested after colliding with an oil tanker in the North Sea is Russian, the company that owns the ship said Wednesday, while the causes of the accident remain unknown.
"We confirm that the captain is of Russian nationality. The rest of the crew are Russian and Filipino nationals," the German company, Ernst Russ, said in a statement.
As reported AFP, the 59-year-old man has been in custody since Tuesday, suspected of involuntary manslaughter by gross negligence, after British authorities favored the lead of the death of a crew member of the freighter, missing in Monday's incident.
Also, the Stena Immaculate tanker, chartered by the U.S. military, was carrying jet fuel, which has prompted further investigations.
View of the Stena Immaculate tanker after the impact.
Abdul Khalique, head of the Maritime Center at Liverpool John Moores University, told the AFP that the collision between a ship at anchor and one en route is a "rare incident."
In the incident, 36 crew members were rescued safe and sound, 23 from the tanker and 13 from the freighter, with one sailor from the Solong recorded as missing.
Smoke rising from the freighter Solong after the collision.
"Our hypothesis is that, sadly, he has passed away," British Secretary of State for Shipping Mike Kane said Tuesday.
Virginia McVea, chief executive of the U.K. Maritime and Coastguard Agency, confirmed "there have been no reports of pollution so far."
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