Foul play not ruled out after US oil tanker crash in North Sea

Not exactly hard to deduce that one or require Morse/Holmes to solve......


Abba, that's a clue.
 
The captain of the cargo ship that crashed into the tanker carrying US military aircraft fuel, it appears is a Russian national the BBC are reporting now.

From the Independent’s live coverage.

Captain of Solong is a Russian National - reports​

The captain of the Solong is a Russian national, the vessel's owners have said, according to Sky News.
The rest of the crew were Russian and Filipino nationals, according to shipping company Ernst Russ, Sky News reported.
Shipping firm Ernst Russ, which owns Solong, confirmed the vessel’s captain had been arrested by Humberside Police on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter after a crew member was presumed dead when a search-and-rescue operation was ended on Monday evening.
The 59-year-old man remains in custody and the force has launched a criminal investigation into the cause of the crash.
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The Russian connection is writ rather large and in good ol' simple logic style, "The farce is strong in this one".
The ecological damage will be large too with the north sea being so shallow.
 
Needless to say, there are going to be a lot of questions asked about how exactly he came to hold the position of captain of a ship chartered to the U.S. Navy!
 
Grey Havoc said:
Needless to say, there are going to be a lot of questions asked about how exactly he came to hold the position of captain of a ship chartered to the U.S. Navy!
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He was (and in law I think still is!) master of the SOLONG, not the STENA IMMACULATE.

I wouldn't necessarily read too much into the SOLONG's master, specifically, being arrested, or his nationality at this time. And the charge is 'merely' gross negligence manslaughter, rather than anything requiring specific intent. It's not materially different to a manager of a company being arrested after a fire in which a member of staff dies.

Subsequent investigation may determine otherwise, of course. But cock-up is usually much more likely than conspiracy - and when one has charge of a ship, sufficiently large cock-ups are criminal offences.
 
The Solong seems one of those 'jobbing' craft I invented for a wry WIRS tale...

"Then the 'Sea-worthiness' aspects. If the 'Mariposa-4', under whatever registration, shows up at your small port, your first thought will be, 'Thank the Lord she didn't founder in the channel !' Your second will be, 'Please don't sink or capsize quay-side ?' And your third, 'How will they afford their harbour dues and essential repairs ?"

( Spoiler: The WIRS team found the so-cleverly hidden half-tonne of 'Nose Candy'. )

In this case, beyond UK 'Criminal Negligence' and 'Manslaughter = Murder2ndº', there may be terrorist charges...

And must wonder if US will want to extradite...
 
We will have to wait and see if the US wants to extradite the captain or not Nik.
 
Nik said:
In this case, beyond UK 'Criminal Negligence' and 'Manslaughter = Murder2ndº', there may be terrorist charges...
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They'd have to demonstrate intent, which seems unlikely unless you know something the rest of us don't.
FighterJock said:
We will have to wait and see if the US wants to extradite the captain or not Nik.
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I don't see that they have any jurisdiction to do so. They'd probably be behind Portugal in the queue if there were grounds for extradition.
 
My thoughts too Yellow Palace, if there is no grounds for extradition for the captain of the MV Solong then the best thing that we could possibly do would be to deport him back to Russia.
 
FighterJock said:
My thoughts too Yellow Palace, if there is no grounds for extradition for the captain of the MV Solong then the best thing that we could possibly do would be to deport him back to Russia.
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A bit premature to be considering such things. It will first be necessary for the police to conduct the necessary interviews, the CPS to determine whether to pursue a conviction, and a trial (if any) to take place.

In the event that he is convicted of gross negligence manslaughter, current law in the UK (being immigration law, it's the same in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Englandandwales) dictates automatic deportation. That he is Russian has little to nothing to do with it - from the sounds of it, the SOLONG's crew was Russian officers and Filipino ratings, which is a pretty common arrangement.

More productively, the fire on the STENA IMMACULATE is now extinguished, and the owners are arranging to get representatives on board to determine its fate. As a Jones Act ship, I would expect that repair will be preferable to having to build a replacement. There's a single tug standing by at the moment in case of need, but the situation appears to be stable.

The SOLONG remains on fire, but is no longer considered to be at risk of sinking. A respectable fleet of salvage vessels (mostly Dutch flagged - 'twas ever so) are in attendance. My guess, given the extent of the damage, is that it'll be a constructive total loss. I don't envy whoever has to pick through the wreckage of whatever was in the containers.
 
Yellow Palace said:
More productively, the fire on the STENA IMMACULATE is now extinguished, and the owners are arranging to get representatives on board to determine its fate. As a Jones Act ship, I would expect that repair will be preferable to having to build a replacement. There's a single tug standing by at the moment in case of need, but the situation appears to be stable.
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STENA IMMACULATE is US-flagged but not technically a Jones Act ship, since she was built in China.
 
I wonder. If it's really that easy to cut underwater cables and destroy merchant vessels, with no repercussions whatsoever, why shouldn't everyone just militarize merchant vessels?

Just order every such vessel with a reinforced ram, and when it's at the end of its life, set it on autopilot to steer straight into the side of an enemy warship of your choice.
 
The very model of a modern 'fire ship'.

I am the very model of a modern Major-Gineral,[a]
I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical;https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major-General's_Song#cite_note-10
I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical,
I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical,
About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news,
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.

I'm very good at integral and differential calculus;
I know the scientific names of beings animalculous:
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-Gineral.

I know our mythic history, King Arthur's and Sir Caradoc's;
I answer hard acrostics, I've a pretty taste for paradox,
I quote in elegiacs all the crimes of Heliogabalus,
In conics I can floor peculiarities parabolous;
I can tell undoubted Raphaels from Gerard Dows and Zoffanies,[c]
I know the croaking chorus from The Frogs of Aristophanes!
Then I can hum a fugue of which I've heard the music's din afore,[d]
And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore.

Then I can write a washing bill in Babylonic cuneiform,
And tell you ev'ry detail of Caractacus's uniform:[e]
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-Gineral.

In fact, when I know what is meant by "mamelon" and "ravelin",
When I can tell at sight a Mauser rifle from a javelin,[f]
When such affairs as sorties and surprises I'm more wary at,
And when I know precisely what is meant by "commissariat",
When I have learnt what progress has been made in modern gunnery,
When I know more of tactics than a novice in a nunnery –
In short, when I've a smattering of elemental strategy –
You'll say a better Major-General has never sat a gee.[g]

For my military knowledge, though I'm plucky and adventury,
Has only been brought down to the beginning of the century;
But still, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-Gineral.
 
TomS said:
STENA IMMACULATE is US-flagged but not technically a Jones Act ship, since she was built in China.
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Ah, I was under the impression it was US-built as well. That may well swing the calculation in favour of replacement... unless the US Government insists that any replacement is a Jones Act ship.
 
Big_Zukini said:
I wonder. If it's really that easy to cut underwater cables and destroy merchant vessels, with no repercussions whatsoever, why shouldn't everyone just militarize merchant vessels?

Just order every such vessel with a reinforced ram, and when it's at the end of its life, set it on autopilot to steer straight into the side of an enemy warship of your choice.
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I suspect that such 21st Century Fireships are high on the nightmare list for both naval and counter-terrorism planners.
 
Last edited:
Salvage & Investigation Underway
March 13, 2025
In this episode, Sal Mercogliano — a maritime historian at Campbell University (@campbelledu) and former merchant mariner — provides an update on the salvage and investigation into the ramming of the US-flagged tanker Stena Immaculate, and arrest of the master of containership Solong.
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You guys think we'll start seeing smaller ships replacing larger ones, and operating in semi-unmanned methods to cope with increasing peace-time threats to commercial shipping?
 
Big_Zukini said:
You guys think we'll start seeing smaller ships replacing larger ones, and operating in semi-unmanned methods to cope with increasing peace-time threats to commercial shipping?
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No. The greatest threat to commercial shipping is international trade slowing down. The second greatest threat to international shipping is increased costs.
 
So. . .a Russian national takes out thousands of tons of US military jet fuel? Nothing to see here.
 
Big_Zukini said:
You guys think we'll start seeing smaller ships replacing larger ones, and operating in semi-unmanned methods to cope with increasing peace-time threats to commercial shipping?
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No, larger ships are cheaper to operate per voyage, which means cheaper per container carried.

As is, modern container ships are effectively unmanned. They have 12 bodies onboard a 100kton ship!
 
On Tuesday, 11th of March, UK transport minister Mike Kane stated there was no evidence of foul play.
https://www.theguardian.com/busines...sion-foul-play-technical-fault-or-human-error
The main focus of the investigations is how two modern ships, fitted with advanced radar technology, could collide in seemingly calm weather conditions.

A White House official [Who?] reportedly told a US news outlet that they were unable to rule out foul play, amplifying speculation that the Stena Immaculate may have been targeted deliberately as it was carrying cargo for the US military.

The UK played down this theory on Tuesday, as initial investigations have found no evidence to suggest such a motive. The UK transport minister Mike Kane told MPs it was clear “something did go terribly wrong” but added: “Whether there was a foul play I think is speculation. There is no evidence to suggest that at the moment.”
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Unable to rule out foul play =/= proof of foul play.

Investigations are ongoing.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/statement-on-the-collision-between-solong-and-stena-immaculate
From: Marine Accident Investigation Branch
Published 13 March 2025
[...]
MAIB’s enquiries have focused on gathering witness accounts and obtaining digital data. Once it is safe to do so MAIB will conduct a detailed inspection of both vessels and manage the retrieval of the Voyage Data Recorders (VDR) from both vessels.

The purpose of the MAIB investigation will be to establish the cause of events that led to this tragic accident, understand why it happened, and make recommendations to prevent similar accidents recurring.
[...]
As well as continuing to gather witness accounts, further investigation work will look to establish the navigational practices on board both vessels; the manning and fatigue management; the condition and maintenance of the vessels involved; and the environmental conditions at the time.
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TLDR: waiting for results of investigation.
 
Silence and inaction - how audio helped prove captain guilty of North Sea tanker crash.

The 30 minutes of inaction from a cargo ship captain in the lead-up to a fiery North Sea tanker crash and his "striking" silence in the aftermath made it clear to police he was at fault, the chief investigator has said.

The jury saw two very different reactions to the collision when they were shown footage from the Stena Immaculate, the ship that was anchored 14 nautical miles off the Humber estuary, and footage from the Solong, the cargo ship captained by Vladimir Motin that ploughed into it, Detective Chief Superintendent Craig Nicholson said.

The force of the collision created a huge fireball and blazes on both ships, but the Humberside Police chief superintendent told the BBC it was "really, really telling" that audio from the bridge of the Solong suggested "63 seconds post-collision of abstract silence".

Motin, on Thursday, was sentenced to a six-year prison term for gross negligence manslaughter.
[...]
Nicholson described audio from the Solong's bridge, where Motin was stationed as "just silence...with some background noises that could be muffling, or it could be the wind" in the lead-up to and in the immediate aftermath of the collision.

On the Stena Immaculate, the audio was very different.

Video footage showed a fireball erupting after the Stena Immaculate's hull is ripped open by the Solong and its cargo of jet fuel ignited by the force. Audio from the bridge tallies with the chaotic scenes.

"You hear the collision and then immediately you have an unfiltered human reaction. One of the crew swears," the policeman said.

"And then immediately... the alarms are sounded, they're talking about what's happened. They're starting the fire pumps, they're doing everything you would expect them to do."

Nicholson said audio recording played in court showed the Stena Immaculate's captain was "immediately concerned about his crew, getting his crew to the muster station and making sure his crew is safe".

During this same time audio from the bridge of the Solong told the court there were some footsteps and then a voice on the radio.

"When you overlay those two things, it's striking."
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yv1d7g2ldo
 

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