3 weeks ago
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PA Media
The transfer of fuel from the Stena Immaculate is expected to take place over the weekend
More than 200,000 barrels of jet fuel are to be removed from the oil tanker involved in a crash with a cargo ship in the North Sea.
The US-registered tanker Stena Immaculate and the Portuguese-flagged Solong collided off the coast of East Yorkshire on 10 March, triggering fires and a rescue operation that saved 36 crew from both vessels.
Crowley, the Florida-based maritime operations company which manages the ship, has said salvage teams are preparing to transfer the fuel to another tanker over the weekend before it is towed to Newcastle.
One Solong crew member, a Filipino national, is missing and presumed dead. The ship's Russian captain has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter.
PA Media
The Solong has been towed to Aberdeen in Scotland
Once the fuel transfer is completed, it will be delivered to its original destination of the port of Killingholme in North Lincolnshire, the company has said.
In a statement, Crowley said the "remaining 202,485 barrels of Jet-A1 cargo from the Stena Immaculate tanker" would be transferred to the Fure Vyl tanker, which was "anchored nearby".
"This lightering operation is a standard and routine maritime practice that follows established safety protocols," the company said.
The Stena Immaculate will be towed to Newcastle "for further inspection" sometime in early April, according to Crowley.
"We continue to work with the appropriate authorities and remain committed to supporting the salvors and salvage operations with the highest possible regard for safety," a spokesperson said.
Drone footage shows the badly fire damaged cargo vessel, Solong, berthed in Aberdeen
The Solong arrived in Aberdeen on Friday after being towed to the Scottish port for damage assessment.
Filipino national Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, is the missing crew member who is presumed dead.
The Solong's captain, 59-year-old Vladimir Motin, from Primorsky, St Petersburg in Russia is due to stand trial in January 2026 charged with gross negligence manslaughter.
Burnt tiny plastic pellets, known as nurdles, have been washed up along the east coast in the aftermath of the collision.
They are believed to have come from containers on board the Solong and had been released during the intense fires, which took a week to bring under control.
Nurdles are balls of plastic resin used in plastics production.
According to conservation groups, the nurdles are not toxic but can have a devastating impact on animals if they are eaten.
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