Cargo ship damaged in North Sea crash arrives in Aberdeen

A cargo ship that collided with an oil tanker in the North Sea has been towed into Aberdeen.

The Portugese-flagged vessel Solong has been taken to the Port of Aberdeen for safe berthing after it crashed into US-registered oil tanker Stenna Immaculate off the East Yorkshire coast on March 10.

36 people were rescued from both ships and one crewmember from the Solong - named as Filipino national Mark Angelo Perina, 38 - remains missing and presumed dead.

The Solong's captain, Vladimir Motin, 59, of St Petersburg, Russia, has appeared at the Old Bailey charged with gross negligence manslaughter and was remanded in custody.

Solong towed to Aberdeen

It was accompanied by a vessel with counter-pollution measures as it arrived at the Port of Aberdeen at around 7am on Friday.

The Solong was still burning a week after it collided with the US fuel tanker, whose crew were praised as "heroic" for triggering a crucial firefighting system before abandoning ship.

Only one of the Stena Immaculate's cargo tanks containing jet fuel was damaged, according to Crowley, the maritime company managing the ship.

Chief coastguard Paddy O'Callaghan said: "Salvage of the Solong has progressed to enable its relocation to the Port of Aberdeen for safe berthing.

"The Stena Immaculate remains in a stable condition with salvage ongoing."

Following the collision, thousands of plastic pellets used in plastics production, known as nurdles, were released from ruptured containers on the Solong and began washing up on beaches on the Norfolk coast, where a clean-up operation is continuing.

According to conservationists, the nurdles are not toxic but can harm animals if ingested.

King's Lynn and West Norfolk Council said it had begun removing the nurdles, focusing initially on the stretch of beaches between Holme-next-the-Sea and Old Hunstanton.

"HM Coastguard continues to support local authorities which are leading the onshore response to pollution, including plastic nurdles, in Norfolk and Lincolnshire," Mr O'Callaghan added.

"HM Coastguard will continue to keep the overall situation under close review."

A spokesperson for Ernt Russ, the company which owns Solong, said the fire-stricken ship will be "fully assessed by specialist marine assessors and insurers" in Aberdeen.

Motin is due to stand trial in January 2026.