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Container ship damaged in crash with North Sea oil tanker arrives in Scotland

28 March 2025, 09:22 | Updated: 28 March 2025, 10:23

A container ship involved in a crash with a US oil tanker in the North Sea has been towed to Aberdeen.

Portuguese vessel Solong was towed to Scotland for "safe berthing" after it crashed into the anchored tanker Stena Immaculate off the East Yorkshire coast on 10 March.

Rescuers saved 36 crew members off both ships. One sailor - named as Filipino national Mark Angelo Pernia, 38 - remains missing and is presumed dead.

The Solong's Russian captain, Vladimir Motin, 59, has appeared at the Old Bailey charged with gross negligence manslaughter and is due to stand trial in January 2026.

The Solong was still burning a week after it collided with the fuel tanker, whose crew were praised as "heroic" for triggering a crucial firefighting system before abandoning ship.

Only one of the Stena Immaculate's cargo tanks containing jet fuel was damaged, according to Crowley, the maritime company managing the ship.

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

A spokesperson for Ernt Russ, the company that owns Solong, said the fire-stricken ship will be "fully assessed by specialist marine assessors and insurers" in Aberdeen.

Chief coastguard Paddy O'Callaghan said: "Salvage of the Solong has progressed to enable its relocation to the Port of Aberdeen for safe berthing.

"The Stena Immaculate remains in a stable condition with salvage ongoing."

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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.

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.

Mr O'Callaghan added: "HM Coastguard continues to support local authorities which are leading the onshore response to pollution, including plastic nurdles, in Norfolk and Lincolnshire.

"HM Coastguard will continue to keep the overall situation under close review."