Tanker to be towed to Great Yarmouth after crash

All crew on the Stena Immaculate survived the crash, which caused an explosion

An oil tanker will be towed to the Port of Great Yarmouth, a month after it was struck by a cargo vessel in the North Sea.

The US-registered Stena Immaculate was anchored 16 miles (26km) off the East Yorkshire coast when it was hit by the Portuguese-flagged Solong, causing an explosion on 10 March.

A crew member of the Solong, a Filipino national, is missing and presumed dead, while the ship's Russian captain is charged with gross negligence manslaughter.

HM Coastguard said jet fuel cargo from the tanker had been transferred to another vessel with preparations under way to tow the Stena Immaculate to Great Yarmouth later this week.

About 11 tonnes of pellets have been cleared from beaches in Lincolnshire, officials said

Port director Richard Goffin said: "In our role as Statutory Harbour Authority and as an open port, we have a duty and responsibility to respond to requests and provide safe havens for vessels.

"In partnership with The Department for Transport, The Maritime Coastguard Agency and the vessel owners, The Port of Great Yarmouth will welcome the MV Stena Immaculate into harbour in order for a necessary survey to take place."

Following the crash, thousands of tiny plastic pellets used in plastics production, known as nurdles, were released from ruptured containers on the Solong and have been found washed up on the Lincolnshire and Norfolk coast.

According to conservationists, nurdles are not toxic but can harm animals if ingested.

Chief coastguard Paddy O'Callaghan said a clean-up operation of the plastic resin balls had been "moved from a proactive to reactive response".

He said HM Coastguard would "keep the overall situation under close review".

As of 1 April, about 11 tonnes of nurdles had been cleared from Lincolnshire's beaches, officials said.

On Wednesday, Kings Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council said its clean-up operation was being scaled back after "790,000 individual plastic nurdles and additional burnt fused nurdle mats" had been recovered from its beaches.

Victoria Egan, the National Trust's general manager for the Norfolk Coast, said the trust's rangers would be carrying out surveys to "determine the extent of the pollution".

"We remain deeply concerned about the long-term impact of this plastic pollution on the Norfolk coast and its wildlife, which could continue to be washed up for weeks and months to come," she said.

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust (LWT) has appealed for people to help clear nurdles washed up ashore on a stretch of coastline north of Chapel St Leonards in a beach clean event on Friday.

Hayley Roan, senior sites manager for RSPB Titchwell March and Snettisham, said: "Alongside the urgent need for continued beach clean-ups, this incident serves as a stark reminder of why we must protect our seabirds' breeding grounds, ensure they have access to plentiful food, and reduce their mortality rates."

The moment of impact was caught on CCTV from the Stena Immaculate

Earlier this month, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) released an interim report into the crash, which stated both vessels did not have "dedicated lookouts" in what were "patchy conditions".

Mark Pernia, the Filipino crew member on the Solong who is missing and presumed dead, was reported to be in the forward area of the ship at the time of impact, according to the MAIB report.

The 13 crew members of Solong and 23-strong crew of the Stena Immaculate evacuated to lifeboats and were "subsequently recovered by local boats and emergency responders", the report had stated.

The Solong's Russian captain, Vladimir Motin, 59, has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter, and is due to stand trial in January 2026.

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