Incident Report: North Sea Collision
Overview
On Monday, March 10, 2025, a collision occurred between the US-flagged oil tanker MV Stena Immaculate and the Portugal-flagged container ship Solong in the North Sea near Grimsby, off the coast of East Yorkshire, UK. The incident resulted in fires on both vessels and a large-scale rescue operation.
Status of the Ships
1. Solong (Container Ship) – IMO: 9322554
The Solong is a 2005-built container ship, registered under the flag of Portugal, with a length of 140.64m ship and a 9,322-deadweight capacity.
Classified by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and with a P&I cover from Skuld P&I, the ship is owned by MS “SOLONG” Schiffahrtsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, and managed by Köpping Reederei GmbH & Co. KG.
At the time of the collision, 09:48 UTC on March 10th, 2025, the Solong was en-route from Grangemouth, Scotland, to Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Skytek platform values the Solong at about $6.0 million.
2. MV Stena Immaculate (Oil Tanker) – IMO: 9693018
The Stena Immaculate is a 2017 built oil / chemical tanker, registered under the flag of the United States, with a length of 183.17 meters and a summer deadweight capacity of 49,729 tons.
The Stena Immaculate is managed by Crowley Government Services Incorporated and owned by Stena Bulk Marine Services LLC, with a classification from Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and its P&I cover with Steamship Mutual.
At the time of the incident on March 10, 2025, it was anchored after arriving from Greece.
It features a cargo tank capacity of 46,572 cubic meters and was reportedly partly laden with a cargo of Jet A1, which is known as aviation fuel, being a very flammable cargo.
Skytek platform values the Stena Immaculate at about $31.0 million.
Summary
- The weather was fine but foggy at the time of the collision.
- The Stena Immaculate, oil tanker, was anchored, while the Solong, container ship, was navigating a congested area at approximately 16 knots.
- The collision caused the Stena Immaculate to spill its cargo of Jet A1 fuel, which is highly flammable and volatile, though it poses limited environmental pollution concerns.
- The containership Solong was carrying 15 containers of sodium cyanide which is highly poisonous.
- Rescue efforts included a helicopter from Humberside, RNLI lifeboats from Skegness, Bridlington, Mablethorpe, and Cleethorpes, as well as a fixed-wing aircraft.
- 37 crew members from both vessels were reportedly evacuated and brought ashore, one crewmember is unaccounted for.
- Both ships ignited after the collision, and nearby firefighting-equipped vessels are actively combating the fires. Skytek tracks four salvage tugs from Svitzer Marine Limited and four from Boluda Towage SMS Limited have been deployed to assist in the operation.
