Crews from Solong and Stena Immaculate Return Home as Salvage Continues

Officials in the UK and the Philippines confirmed that the crewmembers of the containership Solong and tanker Stena Immaculate have been repatriated as the investigation into the incident continues. HM Coastguard gave its last daily update this morning, March 20, while a government minister traveled to the area to thank the brave first responders and civilian crews that saved the seafarers as the vessels were engulfed in flames.

UK Transport Minister Mike Kane visited Grimsby Docks meeting with personnel from HM Coastguard as well as the teams from offshore wind operator RWE and Windcat which provides the crew transfer services from the port. He praised the actions of the commercial crews and thanked everyone for their efforts which saved the crews.

"As the minister for aviation, maritime, and security, I wanted to come as soon as humanly possible after the initial response to the incident to come and thank everybody involved," said Kane. He called the efforts "an astonishingly brilliant operation."

Kane highlighted that Windcat, contracted by RWE to assist with the transport of its technicians to RWE's Humber Gateway offshore wind farm, was first on the scene. The Windcat crew transfer vessel had completed taking technicians out to the wind farm and was 12 minutes away when the Mayday calls were issued.

The Solong crew was in a lifeboat when the Windcat vessel arrived, took them aboard, and brought them ashore. A second vessel repeated the same process rescuing the crew of Stena Immaculate which had also abandoned the tanker aboard its lifeboat.

The 36 individuals were triaged at Grimsby Dock. They were treated on scene and one person who had been injured declined further medical assistance. Kane reported that the crews have now been repatriated. The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch reported that it was conducting interviews and gathering information as part of its investigation into the incident.

Philippines released a picture reporting eight crewmembers had returned (DMW)

The Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) reported today, March 20, that eight crewmembers from the Solong had returned to the country on March 18. It said it was in contact to provide financial assistance and ensure that all the necessary government assistance and support would be provided. Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac previously said the DMW is also mulling taking legal action against the manning agency of the Filipino seafarers. He said they were also assisting the family of the seafarer who was lost during the incident.

The other crewmembers from the Solong were reported to include Russian nationals. There was no indication where they are or how many Russians were working on the containership.

UK prosecutors confirmed that the captain of the Solong, Vladimir Motin, 59 years old, of Primorsky, St Petersburg, Russia, was charged with Gross Negligence Manslaughter on March 14. He is being held in jail waiting for his next court appearance in April.

U.S. operator Crowley has also issued a statement expressing its “heartfelt thank you” to the 23 mariners from the Stena Immaculate for their bravery and quick action during the allision. It said that their actions helped safeguard lives, the vessel, and the environment.

Salvage teams have now been aboard both vessels to conduct surveys and plan the next steps. At the same time, UK officials highlighted that counter pollution retrieval operations remain ongoing. HM Coastguard said that aerial surveillance flights continue to monitor both vessels and the retrieval operation.