Russian Citizen Captain Of Solong Ship Collision With Tanker Ship In British Waters Arrested

UNSPLASH/LIFY ILLUSTRATION Simmonds

JAKARTA - The captain of the Solong ship that collided with a tanker off the coast of British waters was arrested.

The captain of the ship is a Russian citizen, ship owner Ernst Russ said on Wednesday, March 12, quoted by Reuters. But there are no details regarding the legal process or inspection of the captain of the ship.

Oil tankers and cargo ships collided off the northeastern coast of England on Monday causing heavy fires.

Authorities are conducting emergency responses involving aircraft and rescue grounds. Cruise industry sources told Reuters the two ships involved in the collision were the Stena Immaculate chemical tanker and the Solong container ship.

Reported by Reuters on Monday, March 10, television footage from the BBC showed a ship burning with black smoke rising into the air.

The coast guard body said helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, rescue engines, and nearby ships with fire fighting capabilities were called to the scene.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), a rescue beacon service that handles emergency response, said there were reports of a number of people leaving the ship after the collision and causing a fire.

The waters where the collision occurred were a busy route with traffic from ports along Britain's northeastern coast to the Netherlands and Germany, sources from the shipping industry said.

Maritime analysis website Marine Traffic shows a number of ships including container ships and oil tankers in the North Sea region where the collision occurred.