It comes as a preliminary investigation has found that neither ship had a “dedicated lookout”.
Visibility when the Solong container ship struck the Stena Immaculate oil tanker in the North Sea on 10 March was “patchy”, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said in a preliminary report.
The Stena Immaculate was anchored five miles north of the Humber light float – a navigational aid. Solong collided with the oil tanker at a speed of about 16 knots (around 18.4mph) at 9.47am off the coast of East Yorkshire.
“The visibility in the area north of the Humber light float was reported to be patchy and varying between 0.25 nautical miles (nm) and 2.0nm,” the report said.
“Neither Solong nor Stena Immaculate had a dedicated lookout on the bridge.”
It added: “At (7am), Solong’s master returned to the bridge and took over the watch as the lone watchkeeper.”
US tanker Stena Immaculate was approaching the Humber Estuary on 9 March when it was directed to anchor in an area with eight other vessels.
Portuguese registered Solong was sailing from Grangemouth, Scotland to Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
The aviation fuel that the Stena Immaculate was carrying was released into the sea and onto the bow of the Solong, with the heat generated by the force of the crash causing the intense fire see on board both ships.
Rescuers saved 36 crew members from both ships. One sailor – named as Filipino national Mark Angelo Pernia, 38 – remains missing and is presumed dead. Mr Pernia was reported to be in the forecastle area – the forward deck of the ship – at the time of the collision, the report says.
The crews of both vessels took “immediate action”, with the report adding: “Attempts by Stena Immaculate’s crew to fight the fire, and for Solong’s crew to locate the missing able seaman, were hampered by the severity of the fire.
“Both Stena Immaculate and Solong’s crew abandoned to lifeboats and were subsequently recovered by the efforts of local boats and emergency responders, coordinated by His Majesty’s Coastguard.”
The Solong’s Russian captain, Vladimir Motin, 59, appeared at the Old Bailey last month charged with gross negligence manslaughter and is due to stand trial in January 2026.
The salvage operations for both ships remain ongoing, with the report noting that “an evaluation of the nature and extent of pollution from both vessels is in progress”.
Marine Accident Investigation Branch’s full investigation will aexamine manning and fatigue management, the condition and maintenance of the vessels involved and the environmental conditions at the time.
It will also look at the navigation and watchkeeping practices on board both vessels and the use of the offshore area as an anchorage for vessels waiting to enter the Humber Estuary.
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