Captain of cargo ship arrested over fatal collision in North Sea

LONDON -- The captain of the cargo ship involved in the deadly collision in the North Sea has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter, local media reported on Tuesday.

The ship's owner, international shipping company Ernst Russ, confirmed in a statement that the master of the containership Solong has been detained by Humberside police in Britain. "The master and our entire team are actively assisting with the investigations. Out of respect for the investigation and all involved, we will not comment further at this time."

The master of the ship is the same as the captain, as reported by local media.

A criminal investigation was launched to determine the cause of the collision soon after the US-registered oil tanker Stena Immaculate collided with the Portuguese-flagged cargo vessel Solong near the coastal city of Hull on Monday.

Police said earlier Tuesday that a 59-year-old man had been arrested following the collision.

"Extensive work has already been carried out, and we are working closely with our partners to understand what happened and to provide support to all those affected," Detective Chief Superintendent Craig Nicholson said in a statement.

One crew member remains missing and is presumed dead after the collision on Monday. The search operation has now been called off, and the arrest followed, police said.

"The man arrested remains in custody while inquiries continue, and we are speaking with all those involved to establish the full circumstances of the incident," the statement added.

A total of 36 people were rescued, with one person taken to hospital, according to Coastguard Divisional Commander Matthew Atkinson.

When the accident occurred, the Stena Immaculate had traveled from the Greek port of Agioi Theodoroi and was anchored outside Hull while the Solong was en route from Scotland's Grangemouth to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands.

Authorities are working to assess potential environmental damage after confirming that jet fuel leaked into the sea.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution previously reported that several people had abandoned the vessels following the collision.