
Some rescuers boarded the
Solong ships
and
Stena Immaculate who entered the
collision near the port of Hull
(
of
10
March 2025). This was announced in the past few hours by the Guard
UK Coastal Units explaining that both units
naval forces are currently stable and that the men who came on board have
conducted an initial damage assessment in order to ensure a
next safe access to both ships. The commander of the
Coast Guard, Paddy O'Callaghan, specified that "the
position of the ships continues to be unchanged: the
Stena
Immaculate remains at anchor.
Solong continues to
be kept in a safe position connected to a
tugboat".
In this regard, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB),
the British government agency that investigates the
accidents occurring to vessels flagged to the United Kingdom and
those that take place in British territorial waters that
involving ships of all flags, confirmed the dynamics
of the collision: remembering that the Solong container carrier
he often traveled between Grangemouth and Rotterdam and traveled
regularly the course followed on the day of the collision, MAIB
specified that on Monday the ship passed east of the
Longstone lighthouse and changed the course to a route of about
150° at a speed of about 16.4 knots, hitting the
Stena Immaculate who was at anchor near the estuary of the
Humber River. MAIB also confirmed that 36 members of the
crews of both boats were recovered, while
a member of the Solong crew is still
dispersed.
Following the access on board the two ships of some
rescuers, the Coast Guard has announced that small pockets of
fire are still present on the upper deck of the Solong and
that air flights over the area confirm that there does not appear to be any
pollution caused by Stena Immaculate or Solong.
Meanwhile, Humberside police announced that the magistrates
granted an extension of the terms of pre-trial detention to the
to detain the arrested 59-year-old man for another 36 hours
by the police following the ship accident, which is the
Russian commander of the container ship Solong
(
of the 11th
March 2025).
With regard to the conduct of the investigation into the maritime accident, the
International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) trade union has
called for a "totally transparent and coordinated investigation
at an international level". "There are crucial questions -
said the Secretary General of the ITF, Stephen Cotton - that
remain unanswered as a result of this tragedy, and must
be addressed with comprehensive and transparent investigations coordinated with
international level, with the full cooperation of all the
jurisdictions involved and all maritime authorities
national and international experts. It is vitally important
understand the working conditions faced by the crew and that
investigating authorities ensure fair treatment of
all crew members, in line with the guidelines and
international protections". "Our main goal
- concluded Cotton - is to support the affected seafarers. One
of our inspectors is on site and maintains contact with the
representatives of the American trade union who have been sent to the
area, as well as with the crew of the Solong,
ensure that they receive the necessary care and support. A seafarer
lost his life in this tragedy and our thoughts go to the
his family and loved ones".