Detained captain of cargo ship that collided with US oil tanker is Russian national, ship owner says
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Portugal-flagged Solong cargo ship was found to have multiple deficiencies before collision with MV Stena Immaculate
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Smoke billows from the MV Solong cargo ship in the North Sea, off the coast of England, on Tuesday, March 11. (Dan Kitwood/Pool Photo via AP)

A Russian national was revealed to be the captain of the cargo ship that collided with a U.S. tanker off the coast of England in an incident that sparked a massive fire, spilled jet fuel into the sea and left one person feared dead.

The 59-year-old man remained in  police custody Wednesday after being detained on suspicion of manslaughter by gross negligence, according to Ernst Russ, the owner of the Portugal-flagged Solong cargo ship. It added that the ship’s 14 crew members were a mix of Russian and Filipino nationals. One of them remains missing and is presumed dead.

The Solong collided Monday with MV Stena Immaculate, a U.S.-flagged tanker transporting jet fuel for the American military. U.S.-based Crowley Ship Management said the MV Stena Immaculate was anchored near Hull when it was struck and that all 23 onboard are "safe and accounted for" with no reported injuries.

Leading up to the collision, the Solong was inspected in Dublin last July and was found to have 10 deficiencies, according to The Associated Press.



Port inspection documents show the Solong failed steering-related safety checks with the vessel's "emergency steering position communications/compass reading" unreadable. It also had "inadequate" alarms, survival craft "not properly maintained" and fire doors "not as required."

Then a second inspection in Scotland in October found two more deficiencies, but the ship was not detained after either inspection, the AP reported.

However, U.K. authorities said they do not suspect foul play in the crash.





The Solong was drifting and still on fire Wednesday, but is likely to remain afloat rather than sinking, officials said.

_The Associated Press contributed to this report._

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.
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