North Sea crash vessel failed safety checks

A container ship which crashed in the North Sea failed steering-related safety checks.

Port state control (PSC) inspection documents from July last year show Irish officials deemed Solong’s “emergency steering position communications/compass reading” was “not readable”.

This was among 10 deficiencies highlighted during the inspection of the Portuguese vessel in Dublin.

Solong crashed into the tanker Stena Immaculate off the east coast of Yorkshire on Monday morning.

The former is drifting and on fire, but is no longer expected to sink.

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.

In a statement on Wednesday morning, the force said “a 59-year-old man remains in our custody” and detectives are “continuing to conduct extensive lines of inquiry”.

One of these was related to lifebuoys – designed to be thrown into the water to prevent drowning – being “not properly marked”.

Solong was not detained after the inspections in Dublin or Grangemouth.

PSC inspections are carried out on ships in ports around the world.

They are aimed at verifying the condition of a vessel and that its equipment meets international regulations.

Crowley, the maritime company managing the Stena Immaculate, said the jet fuel spill from the vessel has had a “limited” impact.

It remains unclear how much Jet A1 fuel was released when the ship was hit by Solong, but an initial review shows it had evaporated due to exposure to fires on both vessels.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said Solong is now expected to stay afloat, while HM Coastguard said it has attached a tow line to the vessel and it is offshore “in a safer position”.

A salvage plan for both ships is currently being developed as the clean-up efforts enter a third day.

In an update on Tuesday evening, the company said: “It remains unclear at this time what volume of fuel may have been released as a result of the incident, but initial review shows impacts have been limited due to exposure to the fire and evaporation of the Jet A1 fuel.”

Dr Alex Lukyanov, from the University of Reading, a researcher on advanced mathematical models of oil spills, previously said the incident was “troubling” because it appeared to involve persistent oil, which breaks up slowly in water, while he also suggested the “environmental toll could be severe”.

The tanker was operating as part of the US government’s tanker security programme, a group of commercial vessels that can be contracted to carry fuel for the military when needed.

It had been anchored while waiting for a berth to become available at the Port of Killingholme, on the River Humber, Crowley said.

It said the Stena Immaculate remains at anchor with safety tug boats and has a “greatly reduced” fire with no visible flames.

Assistant chief coastguard John Craig said: “A comprehensive counter-pollution response is in place and HM Coastguard continues to make preparations for any pollution that may occur as a result of the damage to the vessels.

“The MCA’s concern in relation to tanks on the Solong has reduced with tugs now able to work in close vicinity.

“The threat from the previously identified dangerous goods on board has reduced significantly. Air quality sampling onshore has shown no toxins and modelling from the Met Office indicates no threat to the public.”

Four empty containers on board that “previously contained the hazardous chemical” will “continue to be monitored”, Ernst Russ said.

Transport minister Mike Kane told MPs on Tuesday that something went “terribly wrong” for the crash to happen and there was “no evidence” of foul play.

Mr Kane added that the Government will “do everything to recover the body of the mariner”.