At around 9:48 am local time on Monday 10 March 2025, a serious incident took place in the North Sea, off the British coast of East Yorkshire, involving the Swedish oil tanker Stena Immaculate and the German container ship Solong. Initial reports indicate that the container vessel was travelling at a speed of approximately 16 knots when it rammed into the anchored oil tanker, which was stationed offshore from the port of Hull in British territorial waters. The collision caused a breach in the hull of the oil tanker, leading to a spill of Jet-A1 aviation fuel, which subsequently ignited. The flames also spread to the container ship. The first rescue teams arrived from Hull and evacuated the crews of both vessels. A total of 37 seafarers were involved, with one requiring hospital treatment. Environmental concerns are now mounting over potential marine pollution.
According to the UK Met Office, visibility at the time of the incident was poor due to fog and low cloud cover. One early hypothesis suggests that the container ship may have been travelling with its autopilot engaged, though the circumstances remain under investigation.
The Stena Immaculate is operated by the Swedish shipping company Stena Bulk and is leased to the US firm Crowley, which, according to the BBC, uses it for transport on behalf of the United States Department of Defense when required. For this reason, since 2023, the vessel has sailed under the US flag. The oil tanker had departed from the Greek port of Agioi Theodoroi. The Solong belongs to the German shipowner Reederei Kopping and flies the Portuguese flag. The vessel is chartered by Samskip for intra-European Atlantic routes and had departed from the Scottish port of Grangemouth en route to Rotterdam.
