The incident occurred while the Stena Immaculate, carrying aviation fuel, was anchored approximately 16 miles (26 km) off the East Yorkshire coast.
According to court records, the owners and demise charterers of the Solong, a Portuguese-flagged vessel, have filed a legal claim at the Admiralty Court in London against the owners and demise charterers of the Stena Immaculate. This follows an earlier claim lodged on Monday by Stena Immaculate’s co-owners, Stena Bulk and Crowley, against the owners of the Solong, Ernst Russ.
In a statement, Ernst Russ confirmed the filing of their claim and noted, "This is the usual process for large maritime casualties and represents another step in working toward the conclusion of this tragic incident." The company also stated it continues to provide support for the ongoing investigations.
The Stena Immaculate reportedly lost 17,515 barrels of jet fuel as a result of the collision and the subsequent fire. The Solong remained on fire for several days and was brought to Aberdeen the following Friday.
Earlier this week, Ernst Russ announced it had established a fund in preparation for any verified legal claims.
An interim report released on Thursday by the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) found that neither vessel had “dedicated lookouts” at the time of the incident, despite patchy weather conditions. The collision led to fires and a rescue operation involving 36 vessel crew members.
One crew member aboard the Solong, Mark Pernia, remains missing and is presumed dead. He was last seen in the forward part of the vessel at the time of the impact.
The Solong’s captain, Vladimir Motin, a 59-year-old from Primorsky, Russia, has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter. He is scheduled to stand trial next year.
