cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/31001120
On the morning of March 10, the container ship Solong collided with an American tanker in the North Sea. British police subsequently arrested the 59-year-old captain of the Solong, whose name has not yet been disclosed. However, a Reuters report indicates that the captain is a Russian citizen.
The Solong, owned by the Hamburg-based international shipping company Ernst Russ, struck the anchored U.S. tanker Stena Immaculate, which was carrying jet fuel for the U.S. military. The impact caused fires to break out on both vessels, and as of March 12, the flames had not been fully extinguished. The crews were evacuated, but one Solong crew member remains missing. The captain is suspected of involuntary manslaughter due to negligence, as the missing crew member is presumed to have died as a result of the incident.
According to AIS (Automatic Identification System) tracking data, Solong was approaching Stena Immaculate at a speed of 16 knots (approximately 30 km/h) and made no visible attempts to avoid the collision. An American sailor aboard the tanker told CBS News that the container ship appeared “out of the blue.”
Initial reports following the accident suggested that Solong was carrying 15 containers of toxic sodium cyanide. However, Ernst Russ later denied this, stating: “There are four empty containers on board that previously held hazardous chemicals,” according to a statement obtained by The Insider.
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My first thought seeing the captain is Russian was sabotage. And maybe a second later I realised the more likely cause: vodka.
the container ship appeared “out of the blue.”
How does that happen? Was nobody watching the naval radar? If their AIS was on it should have been seen from miles away.
If you’re carrying military fuel it’s obvious you’re a target for sabotage.
It’s possible the tanker was the stand on boat and expected the container ship to alter its course. As the tanker isn’t the most manoeuvrable of vessels, it could have then left it too late to take avoiding action. They rarely move even when not the stand on vessel. Obviously, they should have been raising hell on the radio and prove that, too.
If they have the AIS transmissions from both vessels, it would be extremely unlikely they weren’t also receiving it. Now, if nobody was watching it, then that’s going to be a proper paddling once it goes to court.
I’m assuming the fog made it hard for visuals at a distance.
