A 59-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter following a collision between the cargo vessel MV Solong and the tanker MV Stena Immaculate in the North Sea off the coast of Withernsea, England.

Police in Humberside confirmed the arrest on March 11, 2025, after the conclusion of search efforts by coastguard officials to locate a crew member from the Solong who had been reported missing since the incident on the morning of March 10.

The missing crew member from the cargo ship is now presumed dead.

According to the coastguard, the Solong remains ablaze, while the fire onboard the Stena Immaculate has significantly diminished.

Firefighting vessels and safety ships are currently on the scene, with additional support expected to arrive shortly.

There had been concerns regarding a potential ecological disaster.

However, the German group Ernst Russ, owner of the Solong, stated that the vessel was not carrying sodium cyanide, a highly flammable and toxic chemical when in contact with water, which contradicted earlier reports.

Transport Secretary Mike Kane later assured Parliament that, at that time, there were no observed signs of pollution from the ships.

The collision occurred on March 10, 2025, in the North Sea near Yorkshire, when the Stena Immaculate, chartered by the U.S. military, was struck by the Portuguese-flagged Solong under circumstances that remain unclear.

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer indicated that there was currently no reason to suspect criminal activity associated with the incident.

A crew member on the Stena Immaculate reported that the Solong appeared unexpectedly before the collision.

A total of 36 crew members were rescued safely, but one crew member from the Solong is presumed deceased.

One of the Stena Immaculate's fuel tanks was breached, and images reveal significant damage, including a large hole in its side.

Following the collision, the Solong drifted southwards.

The British coastguard established an exclusion zone of one kilometer around both vessels.

The incident has garnered widespread media attention, with various outlets describing it as a 'catastrophe.'

Matthew Pennycook, the Minister for Housing, stated that U.S. and Portuguese authorities are leading the investigation due to the flags of the vessels involved.

The coastguard reported that a pollution response and salvage team is assessing the situation, with plans being formulated for intervention as conditions permit.

The Ministry of the Environment has confirmed that current air quality is within normal limits given the weather conditions.

Greenpeace expressed significant concern over the potential toxic risks posed by the chemicals involved, particularly noting that kerosene leaked in areas close to marine breeding grounds could be hazardous to fish and other marine life.

Local residents in Grimsby have voiced apprehensions regarding the wildlife, with one expressing a desire to prevent harm to local fauna.

Meanwhile, an expert from an international center working for the EU noted that while the kerosene leak is significant, it may not be critically severe.

The Stena Immaculate is a Swedish-owned tanker measuring 183 meters in length and 32 meters in width, launched in 2017, and was transporting 220,000 barrels of kerosene at the time of the incident.

The Solong had departed from Grangemouth, Scotland, and was en route to Rotterdam, Netherlands.