Collision in North Sea: Oil Tanker towed for Inspection Following Jet Fuel Removal

The Stena Immaculate will be towed to Port of Tyne after 202,485 barrels of jet fuel are transferred to a nearby tanker.

A US oil tanker, the Stena Immaculate, is set to be towed to Port of Tyne in north-east England following its collision with the container ship Solong in the North Sea on March 10. The incident occurred approximately 12 miles off the coast of East Yorkshire, leading to the disappearance of a crew member from the Solong, who is now presumed dead.

Salvage operations have progressed, with over 200,000 barrels of Jet-A1 fuel being removed from the Stena Immaculate over the weekend of March 29-30. Crowley, the company managing the Stena Immaculate, confirmed that a lightering operation would take place to transfer 202,485 barrels of jet fuel to the nearby tanker, Fure Vyl.

This operation follows established maritime safety protocols.

Once the transfer is completed, the jet fuel is scheduled to be delivered to its intended destination in Killingholme, Lincolnshire.

Following this, the Stena Immaculate will undergo inspection in Port of Tyne, with assessments expected to commence in early April, as stated by a Crowley spokesperson.

In the aftermath of the collision, the Portuguese container ship Solong was towed to Aberdeen for safe berthing.

It arrived in the Scottish port on March 29 with support from a vessel equipped for counter-pollution measures.

A total of 36 individuals were rescued from both vessels after the collision.

The captain of the Solong, Vladimir Motin, 59, from St Petersburg, Russia, has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter in Hull magistrates court.

He has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to stand trial in January 2026.

Environmental concerns have emerged following the incident, as thousands of plastic pellets, known as nurdles, were released from ruptured containers on the Solong.

These pellets have been washing up on beaches along the Norfolk coast, leading to a clean-up operation.

While conservationists report that the nurdles are not toxic, they pose a risk to wildlife if ingested.