According to SIU, the Portuguese-flagged Solong was traveling at 16 knots on a steady southbound course near Hull when it collided with the anchored Stena Immaculate on 10 March. The impact penetrated two cargo tanks on the tanker's port side.
Third mate Jeffrey Griffin, who was on deck at the time, recounted seeing the approaching vessel moments before the collision. “All I could see was something big and blue heading toward us. I immediately knew it was not going to miss us,” he said. He described hearing a loud crunching noise, followed by a fire.
The crew initially responded with shock, and those inside the deckhouse and belowdecks felt the impact. OS Benjamin Brown recalled seeing the outline of the other vessel in the fog just before a fireball erupted.
The crew deployed hoses and foam to contain the flames. Two officers remained at the bow but were able to rejoin the rest of the crew after firefighting efforts created a safe path. After about 30 minutes, the master ordered an abandonment of the vessel. “I was about to do a muster when we heard the words, forget the muster, abandon ship,” Griffin said.
The crew launched the lifeboat and motored away despite burning fuel on the water. Nearby vessels rescued them, and no injuries were reported among Stena Immaculate's crew.
The tanker’s cargo will be offloaded for safety before the vessel is towed to Newcastle. One crew member from the Solong is missing and presumed dead. The Solong's master has been arrested on negligent manslaughter charges, and Stena and operator Crowley have filed a lawsuit against the vessel’s owner for damages.
The owner, a subsidiary of Ernst Russ, is establishing a claims fund in the UK as legal proceedings begin. The company has also initiated a limitation of liability case in UK admiralty court, which could cap total claims at the value of the vessel and its cargo.
