Ship owner says arrested captain of cargo vessel involved in North Sea collision is Russian

The captain of a cargo ship that collided with a U.S. tanker is a Russian national who remains in U.K. police custody, the vessel’s owner said yesterday, as it emerged that the ship failed several safety checks last year.

The 59-year-old man, who hasn’t been named by authorities, was arrested by police in northeast England Tuesday on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence over the collision. He hasn’t been charged.

Shipping company Ernst Russ, which owns the Portugal-flagged cargo vessel Solong, said that the ship’s 14 crew were a mix of Russian and Filipino nationals.

U.K. authorities say they have so far found no evidence of foul play in the crash. Humberside Police said that detectives were conducting inquiries alongside partner agencies.

The U.K. Marine Accident Investigation Branch is also involved in investigating what caused the Solong, bound from Grangemouth, Scotland, to Rotterdam, Netherlands, to hit the stationary tanker, which was anchored about 10 miles off the English coast.

The investigation is being led by the U.S. and Portugal, the countries where the vessels are flagged.