Ship owner says arrested cargo vessel captain involved in collision is Russian
The captain of a cargo ship that collided with a U.S. tanker is a Russian national who remains in British police custody, the vessel’s owner said Wednesday.
LONDON — The captain of a cargo ship that collided with a U.S. tanker is a Russian national who remains in British police custody, the vessel’s owner said Wednesday.
The 59-year-old man, who hasn’t been named by authorities, was arrested by police in northeast England on Tuesday on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence over the collision. He hasn’t been charged.
Shipping company Ernst Russ, which owns the Portugal-flagged cargo vessel Solong, said that the ship’s 14 crew members were a mix of Russian and Filipino nationals.
British authorities say they don’t suspect foul play in the crash.
Port inspection documents show the Solong failed steering-related safety checks in Dublin, Ireland, in July, with the vessel’s “emergency steering position communications/compass reading” unreadable. Inspectors found a total of 10 deficiencies, including “inadequate” alarms, survival craft “not properly maintained” and fire doors “not as required.”
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