Container ship damaged in North Sea collision to arrive in Port of Aberdeen

A container ship which collided with a US tanker in the North Sea, leading to its captain being charged with gross negligence manslaughter, is to arrive in Aberdeen on Friday morning.

Portuguese vessel Solong is being towed to the Scottish port city for “safe berthing” after it crashed into the anchored tanker Stena Immaculate off the East Yorkshire coast on March 10.

Rescuers saved 36 people from both ships, with one sailor from the Solong, named as Filipino national Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, missing presumed dead.

The MV Stena Immaculate oil tanker was hit off the East Yorkshire coast / Credit: Danny Lawson/PA

The Solong’s captain, Vladimir Motin, 59, of St Petersburg, Russia, has appeared at the Old Bailey charged with gross negligence manslaughter and was remanded in custody.

It will be accompanied by a vessel with counter-pollution measures, the coastguard said, and is due to arrive at the Port of Aberdeen at around 7am on Friday.

The Solong was still burning a week after it collided with the US fuel tanker, whose crew were praised as “heroic” for triggering a crucial fire-fighting system before abandoning ship.

Thanks to their efforts, only one of the Stena Immaculate’s cargo tanks containing jet fuel was damaged, Crowley, the maritime company managing the ship, said.

Chief coastguard Paddy O’Callaghan said: “Salvage of the Solong has progressed to enable its relocation to the Port of Aberdeen for safe berthing.

“Solong will be under tow by one tug and accompanied by another tug, plus a vessel with counter-pollution measures should they be required. Tug and tow are scheduled to arrive at Aberdeen.

“The Stena Immaculate remains in a stable condition with salvage ongoing,” he added.

Burnt clumps of plastic pellets on the shoreline at RSPB Titchwell Marsh in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, following the sea collision. / Credit: RSPB/PA

Following the collision, thousands of plastic pellets used in plastics production, known as nurdles, were released from ruptured containers on the Solong and began washing up on beaches on the Norfolk coast, where a clean-up operation is continuing.

According to conservationists, the nurdles are not toxic but can harm animals if ingested.

King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Council said it had begun removing the nurdles, focusing initially on the stretch of beaches between Holme-next-the-Sea and Old Hunstanton.

“HM Coastguard continues to support local authorities which are leading the onshore response to pollution, including plastic nurdles, in Norfolk and Lincolnshire,” Mr O’Callaghan added.

“HM Coastguard will continue to keep the overall situation under close review.”

A spokesperson for Ernt Russ, the company which owns Solong, said the fire-stricken ship will be “fully assessed by specialist marine assessors and insurers” in Aberdeen.

Motin is due to stand trial in January 2026.