The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Bureau (MAIB) today released its interim report into the recent allusion between the 800 teu feeder vessel Solong and tanker Stena Immaculate near the port of Hull.
In what is may be one of the worst maritime casualties in UK waters for years, the Solong hit (the moment of impact pictured in the photo above) the Stena Immaculate, which was anchored north of the Humber estuary, on the morning of 10 March.
Travelling at 16 knots, the Solong “breached Stena Immaculate’s No 7 port cargo tank, releasing aviation fuel into the sea and onto the bow of Solong,” says the report.
“The aviation fuel was ignited by the heat generated by the force of the collision, and the resulting fire ignited the contents of containers carried on board Solong.”
While the report explicitly states that the MAIB investigation is not “to determine liability nor, except so far as is necessary to achieve its objective, to apportion blame”, it has determined that neither vessel had a dedicated bridge lookout on duty at the time of the collision, despite what would be regarded as low visibility.
The report states: “At 0700, Solong’s master returned to the bridge and took over the watch as the lone watchkeeper. 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 2.0 nm.
“Neither Solong nor Stena Immaculate had a dedicated lookout on the bridge.
“At 0947, Solong collided with the anchored Stena Immaculate’s port side on a heading of 150° and speed over the ground of about 16 knots.
“Able seaman Mark Pernia, one of Solong’s crew, was reported to be in the forecastle area at the time of the collision,” it says.
Mr Pernia’s body has yet to be recovered, while the captain has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter and is scheduled to appear in court on 14 April.
The Solong, deployed on intra-Europe carrier Samskip’s UK2 service, on a Rotterdam-Hull-Rotterdam-Grangemouth rotation, was towed to the port of Aberdeen.
Meanwhile, the vessel’s owner, German firm Ernst Russ, has filed documents in London’s Admiralty Court seeking a “limitation of liability” claim against Samskip and “all other persons claiming or being entitled to claim loss or damage arising out of or in connection with or resulting from the collision”.
“Given the substantial damage arising from the collision, it follows that the company is setting up a fund in the Admiralty Court in London. This ‘limitation fund’ is then available for parties who have verified claims against Solong’s owner,” said Ernst Russ.
“The incident occurred in territorial waters of the UK and there are interested parties and potential claimants residing in the UK, such as public authorities, hence the setting up of a fund in the UK is the most appropriate way forward,” it added.
The investigation continues.