Vessel involved in North Sea crash 'may have been hacked' US claims, as ship carrying toxic cargo continues to burn

11 March 2025, 06:09 | Updated: 11 March 2025, 06:15

The container ship involved in Monday's North Sea crash 'may have been hacked' a White House official has claimed. as the two ships - one of which contained a toxic chemical cargo - continue to burn.

Late on Monday, a White House official refused to rule out the possibility of foul play in relation to the crash, after the Solong container ship seemingly failed to change course - as speculation grew that it may have been hacked.

It comes as 142,000 barrels of jet fuel continue to burn in the sea off the coast of Yorkshire - the cargo carried aboard the second ship involved in the collision, the US-flagged Stena Immaculate.

Speaking with Maritime website gCaptain.com, a senior White House official revealed that foul play had not been ruled out.

The source added that speculation remains, with suggestions the Solong may have been hacked by Russia or other hostile states.

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It comes as the search for one crew member aboard the ship carrying toxic chemicals in the North Sea remains missing after the search was called off by the UK Coastguard on Monday evening.

All 23 aboard the oil tanker Stena Immaculate are accounted for - but one of the 14 crew members of the Solong, the ship that is thought to have collided with anchored cargo ship Stena Immaculate, remains missing.

Search efforts have now ceased for the missing crew member, who was travelling aboard the Solong container ship heading to Rotterdam, the Coastguard confirmed.

Matthew Atkinson, divisional commander for HM Coastguard, said 36 crew members were brought to shore and one person was taken to hospital.

He said: "One crew member of the Solong remains unaccounted for, after an extensive search for the missing crew member sadly they have not been found and the search has ended.

The two vessels "remain on fire and coastguard aircraft are monitoring the situation," the coastguard added.

The crash took place on Monday at approximately 9.48am close to Withernsea, about 13 miles off the Yorkshire coast.

Oil tanker collides with cargo ship in North Sea

The two vessels involved are the US-flagged Stena Immaculate and a Madeira-flagged cargo vessel named Solong carrying 15 containers of sodium cyanide, an industrial chemical often used for cleaning.

Huge fires broke out after the collision, with crews of both vessels forced to abandon ship. Over 30 people were brought ashore, but the Solong's owner reported one missing.

Owner Ernst Russ said: "13 of the 14 Solong crew members have been brought safely shore. Efforts to locate the missing crew member are ongoing."

The tanker was carrying jet fuel, and sustained a "ruptured cargo tank" - leading environmental groups to sound the alarm about the possible impact on wildlife. The east Yorkshire coast is home to a wide variety of seabirds.

Stena Immaculate was linked to the US military - it was a commercial vessel owned by a private company, but is part of an operation to supply oil for the US army "in times of need".

Martyn Boyers, the chief executive of the port of Grimsby East, where people were brought ashore, said that he had been told there was “a massive fireball” after the crash.

Graham Stuart, the MP for Beverley and Holderness, said he understood that only one person was in hospital following the collision.

The Tory MP said: "Like many people across Beverley and Holderness and beyond, I've been watching the images from off the coast of Withernsea with a great deal of concern.

"I've now spoken with the Transport Secretary and I understand that only one person is in hospital.

"While we will be thankful that everyone has been brought ashore, I continue to be concerned about the potential ecological impact.

"That's why I'm calling for a unified command structure, to bring together government, police, Coastguard, the Environment Agency, local authorities and your MPs together."

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has deployed a team to conduct a preliminary assessment, the spokesman said.

Greenpeace UK said it was "too early" to know the extent of any environmental damage.

A spokesperson said: "Both the high speed of the collision and the footage of the aftermath are cause for great concern.

"Right now, our thoughts are with all those affected by the incident and the emergency services responding to the situation.

"At this stage, it's too early to assess the extent of any environmental damage. But the magnitude of any impact will depend on a number of factors, including the amount and type of oil carried by the tanker, the fuel carried by both ships, and how much of that, if any, has entered the water.

"In the case of an oil spill or any loss of hazardous cargo from the container ship involved, the speed of the response will also be crucial in limiting any impact."

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HM Coastguard has said it is assessing the "likely counter pollution response required" after the collision in the North Sea.

"HM Coastguard is currently co-ordinating the emergency response to reports of a collision between a tanker and cargo vessel off the coast of East Yorkshire resulting in fires aboard both vessels. The alarm was raised at 9.48am," it said in a statement.

"A coastguard rescue helicopter from Humberside was called, alongside lifeboats from Skegness, Bridlington, Maplethorpe and Cleethorpes, an HM Coastguard fixed wing aircraft and nearby vessels with fire-fighting capability.

"The incident remains ongoing and an assessment of the likely counter pollution response required is being enacted."

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: "I'm concerned to hear of the collision between two vessels in the North Sea this morning and am liaising with officials and HM Coastguard as the situation develops.

"I want to thank all emergency service workers involved for their continued efforts in responding to the incident."

The Stena Immaculate is thought to have been anchored at the time of the incident, with the Solong, which was en route to Rotterdam in the Netherlands, appearing to collide with the vessel.

Some expert onlookers said they were shocked that such a collision was possible.

David McFarlane, a director at Maritime Risk and Safety Consultants, said: "You use every means at your disposal to look out. So you can use your eyes, you can use your ears as well if you are a very close quarter situation.

"But there's a host of electronics available to each ship to try and help avoid these situations in the first place."

It's possible that autopilot could have caused the crash, as the ships use the tracking software, but questions have been raised as alarms should have been sounded before the collision unfolding.

Fire fighting equipment has been deployed to the scene, according to reports.

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The Coastguard said it was co-ordinating the emergency response to reports of a collision between a tanker and cargo vessel off the coast of East Yorkshire.

"The alarm was raised at 9.48am. A Coastguard Rescue Helicopter from Humberside was called, alongside lifeboats from Skegness, Bridlington, Maplethorpe and Cleethorpes, an HM Coastguard fixed wing aircraft, and nearby vessels with fire-fighting capability.

"The incident remains ongoing."

Images from online shipping trackers show one of the vessels heading directly for the other before the collision.

Two helicopters, thought to be emergency response units, could be seen in the vicinity of the North Sea shortly after 12pm.

It's thought the US-flagged tanker had departed from the port of Agio Theodorio in Greece on February 27.

The Stena Immaculate was said to be heading for Killingholme, according to ship planning documents.

Three off-shore tugs are currently at the scene according to the latest radar.