Huge North Sea ship crash revelation as key failing before collision exposed

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has released a preliminary report into - and revealed that one key failing had been identified prior to the collision.

The Solong, a Portuguese-registered container ship, smashed into the Stena Immaculate, a US tanker carrying 220,205 barrels of jet fuel, on March 10, with the collision taking place about

Yet while an investigation into the crash remains ongoing, a preliminary report has now revealed that neither the Solong nor the Stena Immaculate had a dedicated lookout on the bridge at the time of the collision.

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said in a preliminary report: "The visibility in the area north of the Humber light float was reported to be patchy and varying between 0.25 nautical miles (nm) and 2.0nm.

"Neither Solong nor Stena Immaculate had a dedicated lookout on the bridge. At [7am], Solong's master returned to the bridge and took over the watch as the lone watchkeeper."

While a watchkeeper is responsible for the safe navigation of a vessel, it is the job of the lookout to constantly monitor the sea and to report any hazards.

caused large fires on both vessels, with one man, Filipino crew member Mark Pernia, tragically losing his life as a result.

Solong's captain Russian born Vladimir Motin, 59, has appeared at Hull magistrates' court and the Old Bailey in London He now awaits trial in January next year and has been remanded in custody.

In the hours preceding the collision, the Stena Immaculate was approaching the Humber estuary on March 9 when it was directed to anchor in an area with eight other vessels. Solong meanwhile was sailing from Grangemouth to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

According to the MAIB report, Solong "altered course" at about 1.30am to a heading of 150 degrees, which is a southeasterly direction. It maintained this course until the crash, except for a "slight deviation" at 3.45am.

Solong was travelling a speed of around 16 knots when it hit the Stena Immaculate, with the report shedding light on the speed at which both crews responded to the crash and the fires that started as a result.

"Attempts by Stena Immaculate's crew to fight the fire, and for Solong's crew to locate the missing able seaman, were hampered by the severity of the fire," reads the report.

"Both Stena Immaculate and Solong's crew abandoned to lifeboats and were subsequently recovered by the efforts of local boats and emergency responders, co-ordinated by His Majesty's coastguard."

As the investigation continues, the MAIB has confirmed it will be specifically analysing "the navigation and watchkeeping practices on board both vessels", and "manning and fatigue management".

It will also take into consideration the condition and maintenance of the vessels involved, as well as the use of the offshore area as an anchorage for vessels waiting to enter the Humber estuary.

36 people were safely rescued from both ships, however the tragic fatality of Mr. Pernia and the ongoing environmental impact of the disaster has continued to highlight the severity of the case.

Some of the cargo carried by Solong was a selection of containers filled with thousands of plastic pellets used in plastics production, with these spilling into the North Sea after the crash and washing up on the British coast in he aftermath.

While the pellets themselves aren't toxic, conservationists have warned that they can be dangerous to wildlife if ingested. This has prompted a huge response by local councils to cleanup beaches and try to mitigate any lasting effects.

Lincolnshire County Council said the clean-up operation had so far focused on the worst affected areas. So far, about 24,250lbs, 11,000kg, of waste had been recovered with the operation continuing as more and more "pollutants" continue to wash up on local beaches, reports .

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust meanwhile said that the tiny pellets, which are also known as nurdles, may have burnt together into larger masses, increasing the risk of other pollutants becoming stuck to them.