Ship owner takes legal action over North Sea crash

The owners of a container ship have filed a legal claim against the owners of a tanker that it struck in a crash in the North Sea.

The Stena Immaculate, a US-registered tanker carrying aviation fuel, was anchored 16 miles (26km) off East Yorkshire when it was hit by the Portuguese-flagged Solong on 10 March.

Court records indicate that a legal claim was filed at the Admiralty Court on Thursday by “the owners and demise charterers” of the Solong against “the owners and demise charterers” of the Stena Immaculate.

It follows a separate legal claim filed against the owners of the Solong – Ernst Russ – on Monday by the co-owners of the Stena Immaculate, Stena Bulk and Crowley.

No further details about either claim are currently available, with Stena Bulk having been approached for comment.

In a statement on Thursday, a spokesperson for Ernst Russ said: “As part of the legal proceedings arising from the collision between the Solong and Stena Immaculate, the owners of the Solong have filed a claim in the Admiralty Court in London.

“This is usual process for large maritime casualties and represents another step in working toward the conclusion of this tragic incident.

“Meanwhile, Ernst Russ continues to offer all necessary assistance in support of the ongoing investigations.”

Following the incident, Stena Bulk said 17,515 barrels of jet fuel were lost due to the crash and the subsequent fire, with the Solong still burning a week after the incident before arriving in Aberdeen on Friday.

On Monday, Ernst Russ confirmed it had set up a fund ahead of any “verified” legal claims against it.

On Thursday, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) released an interim report into the incident, which resulted in fires and a rescue operation that saved 36 crew from both vessels.

It found the vessels did not have “dedicated lookouts” in what were “patchy conditions”.

One crew member on the Solong, Mark Pernia, is missing and presumed dead. He was reported to be in the forward area of the ship at the time of impact.

The ship’s captain, Vladimir Motin, 59, of Primorsky, St Petersburg, Russia, has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter, and is due to stand trial next year.