The twisted and fire-damaged remains of a US oil tanker hit by a container ship in the North Sea are to be towed to the northeast of England once more than 200,000 barrels of jet fuel are removed over the weekend.
The Solong collided with the anchored tanker Stena Immaculate about 12 miles off the coast of East Yorkshire on March 10, leaving one man missing, presumed dead.
Crowley, which manages the Stena Immaculate, said salvage and recovery operations are moving into the next phase.
The Stena Immaculate was carrying barrels of jet fuel as part of a 70-day contract with Military Sealift Command on behalf of the Defense Logistics Agency Energy – the Pentagon entity that manages fuel for the US military.
The Solong sliced through the hull of the tanker, causing thousands of litres of jet fuel to spill into the sea and forcing sailors from both vessels to abandon ship.
‘During the weekend of March 29-30, operations will commence at sea to transfer the remaining 202,485 barrels of Jet-A1 cargo from the Stena Immaculate tanker to tanker Fure Vyl, which is anchored nearby,’ a spokesperson said.
‘This lightering operation is a standard and routine maritime practice that follows established safety protocols.’
The jet fuel will then be delivered to its original destination of Killingholme, in Lincolnshire, the statement added.
Salvage workers today survey the remains of the container ship which was left scorched and battered after it collided with the anchored tanker Stena Immaculate
The Portuguese vessel Solong arrived in Aberdeen on Friday after being towed to the Scottish city for ‘safe berthing’.
The burnt and battered MV Solong is towed by tugs into Aberdeen Harbour on March 28, 2025
The Stena Immaculate will be towed to the Port of Tyne on the North East coast, near Newcastle, for further inspection expected to take place in early April.
A Crowley spokesperson added: ‘We continue to work with the appropriate authorities and remain committed to supporting the salvors and salvage operations with the highest possible regard for safety.’
Portuguese vessel Solong arrived in Aberdeen on Friday after being towed to the Scottish city for ‘safe berthing’.
It was accompanied by a vessel with counter-pollution measures as it arrived at the Port of Aberdeen at around 7am on Friday.
A total of 36 people were rescued from the ships following the incident but a sailor from the Solong – named as 38-year-old Filipino national Mark Angelo Pernia – is missing and presumed dead.
The Solong’s captain, Vladimir Motin, 59, of St Petersburg, Russia, has appeared at Hull Magistrates’ Court and at the Old Bailey charged with gross negligence manslaughter and was remanded in custody.
The court heard how all 23 people on the tanker were rescued along with 13 of 14 crew members from the Solong but Mark Angelo Pernia – a 38-year-old Filipino national – could not be located.
He is due to stand trial in January 2026.
Smoke billows from the MV Solong cargo ship after it collided with a US oil tanker off the Yorkshire coast on March 10
Salvage works in high-vis jackets inspect the structural integrity of the cargo ship
The twisted and fire-damaged hull of the MV Solong
Shipping containers on the MV Solong which were damaged in the collision with the oil tanker
An aerial view of three tugs steering the MV Solong into Aberdeen Harbour
Following the collision, thousands of plastic pellets used in plastics production, known as nurdles, were released from ruptured containers on the Solong and began washing up on beaches on the Norfolk coast, where a clean-up operation is continuing.
According to conservationists, the nurdles are not toxic but can harm animals if ingested.
King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Council said it had begun removing the nurdles, focusing initially on the stretch of beaches between Holme-next-the-Sea and Old Hunstanton.