British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has described the aftermath of a tanker crash off the English coast as “reasonably contained,” easing fears of an environmental disaster. One crew member is presumed dead after the Solong, a Portuguese-flagged container ship, collided with an anchored tanker carrying US military jet fuel on Monday.
The incident caused huge fires and explosions, spilling jet fuel into the sea. However, initial assessments show that the jet fuel has mostly burned off and there are no signs of other leaks from either ship. The tanker remains at anchor with a gaping hole in its side, while the badly burnt container ship has been stabilized.
The Solong’s captain, a Russian national, is in custody on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter following his arrest. A judge granted detectives an extra 36 hours to question the captain. All 36 crew members from both vessels survived and were brought ashore. Britain’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) will lead the safety investigation, seeking to determine the cause of the incident and how to prevent similar crashes in the future.
The MAIB will inspect both vessels and retrieve Voyage Data Recorders once it is safe to do so, looking into factors such as fatigue management, navigational practices, and weather conditions.
Source: https://www.yahoo.com/news/uk-tanker-crash-aftermath-reasonably-121359039.html