Fire on Stena Immaculate out after North Sea collision, says co-owner

The Stena Immaculate was carrying 220,000 barrels of aviation fuel spread among 18 containers of different sizes to be used by the US military.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Hanel said: "We have not got a team on board yet.

"It looks serious but how much structural damage there is we can't be sure based on the pictures."

He said the ship was currently anchored at sea and it was hoped a decision on what to do with it could be made over the next 24-48 hours.

"It will be easier to make those kinds of decisions once they can get a team on board to assess the damage," he added.

The UK authorities are currently leading the investigation and there is no involvement from the US, despite the vessel being under contract to their military.

The Solong's owners said the ship had separated from the Stena Immaculate and had drifted south, with salvage and marine firefighting craft still tackling the blaze.

They added that the coastguard had confirmed that there had been no further reports of pollution to the sea since the initial incident, and that they were working to limit the damage.

Following the collision, the Russian national captain of the Solong was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter following reports of a missing crew member.

Ernst Russ said it was working on plans to recover the vessel and was assisting the authorities with their investigations.

The company said its thoughts remained with the family of the missing crew member.

Humberside Police said it had begun a criminal investigation into the cause of the collision and was working with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

"Detectives are continuing to conduct extensive lines of enquiry alongside partners in connection with the collision," the force said.

Both ships caught fire after the collision triggering a major response from emergency services.

Virginia McVea, chief executive of Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said: "There have been no further reports of pollution to the sea from either vessel beyond what was observed during the initial incident."

HM Coastguard said 36 people had been rescued and taken safely to shore.

Grimsby-based Windcat, which provides support to offshore wind farms, assisted in the rescue operation.

The company said it had two ships in the area at the time.

"Both vessels were called to assist in the rescue operation," a spokesperson said.

"They immediately responded and they brought around 17 people involved to safety ashore."