Oil tanker hit in crash to be towed to North East after jet fuel barrels removed

A US oil tanker which was hit by a container ship in the North Sea is to be towed to the North East of England after more than 200,000 barrels of jet fuel are removed over the weekend, a maritime company has said.

The Solong collided with the anchored tanker Stena Immaculate about 12 miles off the coast of East Yorkshire on March 10, leaving one man missing, presumed dead.

Crowley, which manages the Stena Immaculate, said salvage and recovery operations are moving into the next phase.

“During the weekend of March 29-30, operations will commence at sea to transfer the remaining 202,485 barrels of Jet-A1 cargo from the Stena Immaculate tanker to tanker Fure Vyl, which is anchored nearby,” a spokesperson said.

“This lightering operation is a standard and routine maritime practice that follows established safety protocols.”

The jet fuel will then be delivered to its original destination of Killingholme, in Lincolnshire, the statement added.

The Stena Immaculate will be towed to the Port of Tyne on the North East coast, near Newcastle, for further inspection expected to take place in early April.

A Crowley spokesperson added: “We continue to work with the appropriate authorities and remain committed to supporting the salvors and salvage operations with the highest possible regard for safety.”

Portuguese vessel Solong arrived in Aberdeen on Friday after being towed to the Scottish city for “safe berthing”.

It was accompanied by a vessel with counter-pollution measures as it arrived at the Port of Aberdeen at around 7am on Friday.

A total of 36 people were rescued from the ships following the incident but a sailor from the Solong – named as 38-year-old Filipino national Mark Angelo Pernia – is missing and presumed dead.

The Solong’s captain, Vladimir Motin, 59, of St Petersburg, Russia, has appeared at Hull Magistrates’ Court and at the Old Bailey charged with gross negligence manslaughter and was remanded in custody.

He is due to stand trial in January 2026.

Following the collision, thousands of plastic pellets used in plastics production, known as nurdles, were released from ruptured containers on the Solong and began washing up on beaches on the Norfolk coast, where a clean-up operation is continuing.

According to conservationists, the nurdles are not toxic but can harm animals if ingested.

King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Council said it had begun removing the nurdles, focusing initially on the stretch of beaches between Holme-next-the-Sea and Old Hunstanton.