Thousands of barrels of jet fuel were "lost" to fire and impact after a North Sea collision between a cargo ship and an anchored tanker, one of the operators said Sunday (March 16), calling the extent of damage limited.
It remains unclear why the Portuguese-flagged Solong ran into the US-flagged Stena Immaculate about 20 kilometres from the English port of Hull on March 10.
The collision triggered huge fires aboard the two ships, which took several days and a massive high-seas firefighting effort to extinguish.
One crew member from the Solong, identified by state prosecutors as 38-year-old Filipino Mark Angelo Pernia, is presumed dead.
At the time of the crash, the US military-chartered Stena Immaculate was carrying around 220,000 barrels of aviation fuel, at least one of which ruptured, prompting concern from environmentalists.
But surveillance after the crash showed that there did "not appear to be any pollution" leaking from either of the vessels, according to officials.
In a statement, the tanker's US-based operator Crowley said: "Based on an assessment by the salvage team, it has been confirmed that 17,515 barrels of Jet-A1 fuel have been lost due to the impact and fire. The remaining cargo and bunkers are secure."
Salvage teams determined that the extent of the damage was limited to a fuel tank and water tank, the statement added.
The operator praised "heroic action" by the crew to take fire precautions before abandoning ship.
Investigators are continuing to try to determine why the Solong altered its course around 0130 GMT and careened into the Stena Immaculate eight hours later.
The British government has ruled out foul play.
The Solong's Russian captain was charged over the weekend with gross negligence manslaughter.
While the financial costs incurred from the incident are not clear, the Morningstar DBRS credit ratings agency estimates that total insured losses could range from $100 million to $300 million.
Bd-Pratidin English/ARK
