The captain of the cargo ship Solong, which collided with the U.S. flagged oil tanker Stena Immaculate, has been arrested. It was disclosed that the captain is a Russian citizen.

The captain of the cargo ship responsible for causing a major fire by colliding with a oil tanker in the North Sea has been arrested. The owner of the ship stated in an interview with AFP that the arrested captain is a Russian citizen. Following the collision of the Solong cargo ship owned by Ernst Russ with the U.S. flagged Stena Immaculate tanker on Monday, and the presumed death of a missing crew member, the 59-year-old man was arrested by the UK police on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter. The company stated in an interview with AFP that the rest of the crew consisted of Russian and Filipino citizens.

EXPLOSIONS VISIBLE FROM SPACE The oil tanker was operating as part of the U.S. government’s tanker security program; as part of this program, there was a group of commercial vessels that could be contracted to transport fuel for the military when needed. Stena Immaculate was at anchor when it collided with the smaller Solong. The collision resulted in large fires and explosions visible from space. It is estimated that one person was lost in the accident.

CARRYING 220 THOUSAND BARRELS OF JET FUEL Immediately after the collision, dozens of people were forced to abandon the burning ships. According to Skynews, the maritime company Crowley, which operates the Stena Immaculate, stated it was carrying 220 thousand barrels of jet fuel in 16 separate cargo tanks, at least one of which was “ruptured” during the collision. The company also added that the jet fuel leak had a limited impact. The coast guard rescued 36 people and reached all 23 individuals on the oil tanker, but one of the 14 crew members of the Solong is still missing.