London (AP) – Cargo ship captain Clashed with a US tanker The ship’s owner said Wednesday that he is a Russian citizen who maintains custody of British police.
The 59-year-old man, who has not been appointed by authorities, was arrested Tuesday by police in the northeastern UK and on suspicion of manslaughter for gross negligence in the crash. He has not been charged.
Ernst Rath, the shipping company that owns Solon, a Portuguese-class cargo ship, said the ship’s 14 crew was a mixture of Russian and Filipino citizens.
British authorities say they have not found evidence of foul play in the crash crash, and so far there is nothing to show that it is related to national security. Humberside police said detectives were making inquiries along with partner agencies.
Associated Press Correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports that the captain of the cargo ship that collided with a US tanker is a Russian citizen remaining in British police custody after it was revealed that the ship had broken down with several safety checks.
The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Division is also involved in investigating the causes of Solon bound to Rotterdam, the Netherlands from Grangemouth, Scotland.
The investigation is led by the US and Portugal, countries with flagged ships.
Port inspection documents show that steering-related safety checks failed in Dublin, Ireland in July, and the ship’s “emergency steering position communication/compass reading” cannot be read. Inspectors found a total of 10 defects, including “inadequate” alarms, survival craft “not maintained properly” and “unnecessary” doors.
An inspection in Scotland in October found two other defects. The ship was not detained after either inspection.
The freighter collided with MV Stena Immaculate, tanker on Monday Transporting jet fuel for the US military Both ships flare up in the North Sea off the eastern UK on Monday. One sailor from Solon is missing and is presumed dead. The other 36 crew members of the two ships were safely transported onto land without any serious injuries.
Solon was drifting on Wednesday and still smoldering, but more likely to float than it would sink, officials said.
The 183-meter (596-foot) Stena Immaculate operated as part of the US government’s Tanker Security Program, a group of commercial vessels that could be contracted to carry military fuel if necessary.
The collision poured jet fuel into the ocean, causing fear of serious environmental damage. Environmentalists said petroleum and chemicals pose risks to marine life, including whales and dolphins, as well as birds such as plump, cacao and gillemots, who live on coastal cliffs.
The British Coast Guard agency said no new pollution has been reported since the first incident, and Greenpeace, an environmental movement group, said its impact on marine life may not be as bad as the initial fear.
“We haven’t fully escaped from the dangerous zone yet, but we’re beginning to look slightly averted environmental disaster,” said Paul Johnston of Greenpeace’s Research Institute. “The possibility of serious harm is very high if the container ejects the length of the soccer pitch to a tanker carrying thousands of tons of jet fuel at 16 knots, near natural sites where the container length is sensitive.”
___
Pan Pylas contributed to this report.
