British police arrested a man on Tuesday on suspicion of manslaughter as they searched for answers about why a cargo ship hit a tanker transporting jet fuel for the US military off eastern England, setting both vessels ablaze. One sailor was presumed dead in the collision, which sparked fears of significant environmental damage.
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Humberside Police said the 59-year-old was detained “on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the collision”. The man, who was not named by police, has not been charged.
The government said the cause of the collision was being investigated, but there was no indication of foul play.
UK officials were watching for damage to birds and sea life after jet fuel poured into the North Sea when the Portugal-registered container ship Solong broadsided the US-flagged tanker MV Stena Immaculate on Monday. The collision sparked explosions and fires that burned for more than 24 hours.
Footage filmed from a helicopter on Tuesday morning showed the fire appeared to largely be out on the tanker, which had a large gash on its port side.
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The UK coastguard agency said on Tuesday that the Solong was still alight. It said the cargo ship, whose front end was crushed and blackened, was drifting south, away from the tanker, and a 1km (around a half-mile) exclusion zone had been put in place around both ships.