Arrested captain of Solong ship is Russian national, owners say | Global News Avenue

The owner of the ship confirmed that the captain of the Zoro cargo ship was arrested after colliding with an oil tanker in the North Sea.

Humberside police said the 59-year-old remains in custody after being arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of aggravated manslaughter.

On Monday, around 10:00 GMT, the Portuguese-signed Solong and the U.S.-registered tanker Stena Immaculate crashed off the East Yorkshire coast.

The search and rescue operation was cancelled late Monday, and one of the missing crew members in the cargo ship was supposedly dead.

Humberside police said it has begun a criminal investigation into the cause of the collision and is working with the Maritime and Coast Guard.

“Detectives are continuing to conduct extensive investigations related to the collision with partners,” the force said.

Both ships caught fire after the collision triggered a major reaction from emergency services.

“There is no further coverage of pollution from any ship that was observed during the initial incident,” said Virginia McVea, chief executive of the Maritime and Coast Guard.

HM Coastguard said 36 people have been rescued and taken to shore safely.

Grimsby-based Windcat supports offshore wind farms and assists in rescue operations.

The company said there were two ships in the area at that time.

“Both ships were asked to assist in the rescue operation,” a spokesperson said.

“They responded immediately and brought about 17 people to the shore.”

Ms McVia said the Zoro was “tug by boat in a safe position at sea”.

She added: “Stena’s flawless remains are anchored at the anchor point, if safety tugs are needed.

Ms McVea said the agency is working with two rescue companies hired by shipowners “to do our best to protect the public and the environment in this ongoing incident response.”

White Hall sources told the BBC that Zoro’s crew included Russians and Filipinos.

The BBC understands that all crew members on the Stena Immactule ship are Americans currently in Grimsby and will be repatriated in due course.

Stena Immaculate carries 220,000 barrels of aviation fuel to be used by the U.S. military.

Its co-owner, Crowley, of Florida, said it has been at anchor, waiting for the berth to be listed at the port of Killingholme at the mouth of the Humber River.

The company added that the crash caused “multiple explosions” on the ship and released unknown jet fuel.

Listen to the highlights of highlights Hull and East Yorkshire BBC Voice,look The latest episode of Look North Or tell us the story you think we should introduce here.