The search for a missing crew member has unsuccessfully come to an end, leading to a containership captain being arrested following a crash between two cargo ships off the UK coast this week.

The captain of the vessel ‘Solong’ was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter after the containership crashed into an oil tanker off of the coast of Hull, and the crew member now presumed dead.

The tanker ‘Stena Immaculate’ was anchored in the North Sea when it was hit by the containership on Monday. It was carrying 220,000 barrels of jet fuel in 16 cargo tanks, and the collision led to multiple explosions on board and fuel leaking into the water.

Major blazes broke out on both ships and the fire onboard the tanker has now been put out. However, smoke continues to rise from the containership, which is expected to sink in the North Sea.

36 merchant seamen from America, Russia and the Philippines were safely rescued from the ship and are helping Humberside Police with the investigation. Our prayers and thoughts are with the family of the missing crew member.

While we fear sounding like a broken record, this is another incident that highlights the importance of cargo insurance when moving goods internationally. Please contact a member of the Westbound team for further information.

If you have any questions regarding the above, then Westbound are here to help. So, please do not hesitate to contact us.