On March 10, 2025, a major accident occurred in the North Sea: the container ship Solong, captained by a 59-year-old Russian citizen, crashed into the American tanker Stena Immaculate, which was carrying aviation fuel for the US military. British police arrested the captain on suspicion of manslaughter in connection with the disappearance of one of the crew members, as reported by Reuters, citing the ship's owner, the German company Ernst Russ. The incident, which took place off the coast of East Yorkshire, caused a fire on both ships and a fuel leak, which gave rise to fears of an environmental disaster.

The disaster unfolded near the Humber Estuary, about 10 miles from the port of Hull. The Solong, sailing at 16 knots from Grangemouth, Scotland, to Rotterdam, rammed an anchored tanker loaded with 220 barrels of Jet-A1 fuel. The collision caused explosions, one of the Stena Immaculate's tanks was punctured, and some of the fuel spilled into the sea and caught fire. Rescue services evacuated 32 people - 13 from the Solong and 23 from the tanker. One sailor from the container ship was missing, and the search, called off due to a storm, yielded no results. The Solong's crew consisted of Russians and Filipinos, and the captain, as confirmed by Ernst Russ, is the focus of the investigation.

The British authorities have launched a full-scale investigation. A representative of the UK Maritime and Coastal Agency told the Financial Times that all versions are being considered: from human error to technical failure and even external interference.

The consequences of the incident go beyond a local incident. According to the BBC, the fire on Solong was only contained by the morning of March 12, while on Stena Immaculate it was extinguished earlier. The fuel leak alarmed environmentalists, but environmental activists noted that the worst-case scenario was avoided thanks to a quick response. The tanker, managed by Swedish Stena Sphere through American Crowley, was participating in the US Tanker Security Program. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the situation a "serious challenge" and ordered an investigation to be accelerated.