Matt Spivey
Live page editor

The captain of the Solong cargo ship, that collided with US oil tanker Stena Immaculate on Monday, has been arrested, the owner of the vessel told the BBC.

It comes after Humberside Police said a 59-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter, in connection with the North Sea collision.

One crew member of the Portuguese cargo ship is "assumed deceased", a UK minister says, after 13 of the 14 members of crew were rescued in the aftermath of the collision.

Assistant Chief Coastguard John Craig says salvage plans are in place for both vessels, but flames are still visible on the Solong.

After an earlier expectation that the cargo ship could sink, both the Solong and Stena Immaculate are now expected to stay afloat, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander says.

Neither of the ships have been brought ashore, as plans for the possible repair of both vessels remains up in the air. In the coming days, there will be more clarity on what the future holds for both the Solong and Stena Immaculate.

We're now closing our live coverage, thanks for joining us. Our colleagues on the news desk will continue to provide updates in our news story.

• What we know about the oil tanker and cargo vessel collision
• Watch: Charred cargo ship and oil tanker seen from above

We're hearing now from Assistant Chief Coastguard John Craig, who says in a statement that there are still flames visible on the Solong cargo ship as salvage operations are being arranged for both vessels.

Craig says the ships were "interlocked and held in place by the anchor of the US oil tanker, Stena Immaculate, before the Solong detached and drifted south overnight".

A tug line is now in place in an effort to hold Solong in a safer position offshore, he says, adding that "there are still some flames visible on the main deck of the Solong, and firefighting is focusing on this area".

"A salvage plan is being developed," the statement adds.

For the Stena Immaculate, which remains at anchor, a second salvage company has been engaged. The assistant chief coastguard says the fire on the vessel is "greatly reduced with no flames visible".

Craig adds that a comprehensive counter pollution response is in place, as the "threat from the previously identified Dangerous Goods on board has reduced significantly".

"We continue to engage actively with Humberside Police, salvors, the port authorities and other agencies to protect the public and the environment as far as possible while continuing to respond to the developing situation," the statement concludes.

Jonathan Josephs
BBC business reporter

The owner of the Solong cargo ship, German firm Ernst Russ, has confirmed to the BBC that the man arrested by Humberside police is the master of the ship.

They say that he, along with the rest of the crew, are assisting the investigation. In a statement they added that “Out of respect for the investigation and all involved we will not comment further at this time.”

Jonathan Josephs
BBC business reporter

I understand that all 23 crew on board the Stena Immaculate are Americans. They are all currently in Grimsby and are likely to be repatriated in due course.

The owners of the ship, Florida-based Crowley, still have to decide what will happen to the ship, whether it will be repaired and if so where. It is likely that, once it is safe, some form of crew will be needed on board for safety reasons.

The US military has confirmed that the ship was on a short-term charter to Military Sealift Command on behalf of the US Defense Logistics Agency, Energy. This is a branch of the military responsible for making sure that the right equipment is in the right place.

Sean Dilley
BBC News Transport correspondent

We can now bring you an update on the Solong - the cargo ship that struck an oil tanker in the North Sea off the coast of England on Monday.

Whitehall sources are now telling the BBC that there were Russians and Filipinos amongst the crew of the Portuguese cargo ship.

We have yet to hear about the crew on board the Stena Immaculate, but the BBC spoke with an American sailor who was on the US-flagged tanker earlier today.

Image source, Getty Images

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander says she has been informed that both vessels are now expected to stay afloat, including the Solong.

Thie comes after minister for aviation, maritime and security Mike Kane told the Commons earlier, that it was "highly unlikely" the cargo ship would stay afloat.

The transport secretary adds that Solong can be towed away from the shore and "salvage operations can get under way".

Speaking about the potential environmental impact following the incident, Alexander says she will continue to monitor the situation and has has requested regular updates.

Shipping movements in the Associated British Ports (ABP) of Hull, Immingham, Goole and Grimsby resumed on Monday evening after being halted in the morning, an ABP spokesperson tells the BBC.

Emma Lingard adds that ports remain restricted whilst the incident is ongoing, as ABP "continues to support ongoing emergency operations".

Image source, PA Media

Graham Stuart, the MP for Beverley and Holderness in East Yorkshire, says there is no evidence, at this stage, that any of the heavy engine oil from either ship is leaking.

Stuart spoke with minister for aviation, maritime and security Mike Kane, who addressed earlier speculations of sodium cyanide containers on the Portuguese cargo ship Solong.

Referring to the earlier briefing from Kane, Stuart says containers on Solong were empty and "there is no evidence of pollution in the water or in the air to date".

Testing kits are being sent out to confirm the purity of the water, as Stuart says the jet oil that leaked "appears to have burned off".

He acknowledges that risks remain and it is possible that heavy engine oil could leak, if this is the case there are oil collection kits in Grimsby to mitigate the impact, Stuart adds.

• Our colleagues have taken a look at the potential impact an incident like the collision in the North Sea could have on the environment.

Image source, AFP

The operation in the North Sea is still very much in the "containment phase", according to Peter Aylott, director of policy at UK Chamber of Shipping.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4, he says the main thing is getting the fire that remains on the Solong under control, and for now it remains too dangerous for workers to go aboard.

As we reported, the Solong appears to be attached to a tug boat with a line attached to the cargo ship.

However, Aylott says "whether that line across at the moment is sufficient to be able to haul the vessel against the weather, against the tide" depends on the situation.

It's more of a question of focusing on stopping the fire, to then get a secure line onto the ship, Aylott says.

An assessment from an MP in the Commons earlier was that the Solong will likely sink. Aylott says if this does happen, it could be possible to re-float it, depending on the water depth.

As we just reported, a 59-year-old man has been arrested in relation to the collision between two ships in the North Sea yesterday.

The Humberside Police says that a criminal investigation into the cause of the collision is now under way, and they are working in collaboration with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

“Extensive work has already been carried out, and we are working closely with our partners to understand what happened, and to provide support to all of those affected," Detective Chief Superintendent Craig Nicholson says in the statement.

The 59-year-old man was arrested “following enquiries undertaken by my team" Nicholson says.

He is not identified, but the statement says he has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the collision.

The arrest comes after the conclusion of search operations by HM Coastguard for the missing crew member of the Solong, it adds.

“The man arrested remains in custody at this time whilst enquiries are under way, and we continue speaking with all those involved to establish the full circumstances of the incident.”

A 59-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with yesterday's collision in the North Sea, Humberside Police says.

It has opened a criminal investigation into the incident.

We'll bring you more details in a moment.

In the past hour, we've seen fresh images of the two vessels involved in a collision off the coast of East Yorkshire on Monday.

As we heard from Mike Kane in the Commons earlier, the fire on the Stena Immaculate has been extinguished while the fire on the Solong persists.

In the live images of the vessels, which you can also see by pressing watch live at the top of this page, the Solong can be seen visibly charred, with a hole on its bow.

Containers are visible on board the Portuguese cargo vessel, as smoke continues to rise above it.

Meanwhile, deluges of water can be seen gushing out of the Stena Immaculate.

At the time of the collision on Monday morning, the Stena Immaculate was anchored. It was carrying jet fuel for the US military in multiple tanks.

Pictures this morning show extensive damage to the ship, which is no longer ablaze after burning through the night.

There is a large rupture on one side and water appears to be pouring out.

It seems that the Stena Immaculate may be able to stay afloat, due to design features like a dual hull and multiple tanks for carrying cargo.

As for the other vessel involved in the collision, the Portuguese cargo ship Solong, MP Mike Kane says assessment reports suggest it is unlikely to stay afloat.

Mike Ross, the Liberal Democrat leader of Hull City Council, has called for Cobra to be convened "as soon as possible".

• For context: Cobra is the UK Civil Contingencies Committee, that is convened to handle matters of national emergency or major disruption

He adds that the collision between the Solong and Stena Immaculate vessels has the "potential to be an environmental disaster".

“We urgently need to see the scale of the area affected assessed and the level of pollution resulting from the crash," he says, adding that people across Hull and East Yorkshire need "assurances that their local communities, coastline and wildlife will be safe".

"That’s why I’m calling on Keir Starmer to convene Cobra today," says Ross. "We will only get this assurance if the government acts quickly."

Image source, PA Media

Aerial images of the Stena Immaculate and Solong vessels, which collided in the North Sea on Monday, have emerged.

You can track the movements of the vessels, and see images of them, by pressing watch live at the top of this page.

If you're just joining us, here are the latest developments:

• Mike Kane, minister for aviation, maritime and security, told the House of Commons that 13 of the 14 sailors on the Portuguese cargo ship Solong were rescued, but that the working assumption was that the missing sailor is deceased
• Kane also said the latest assessment from experts suggests that it is unlikely the Solong will remain afloat as it continues to drift
• The fire that broke out yesterday on the US oil tanker Stena Immaculate has been extinguished, while the fire on the Solong persists, Kane adds
• Meanwhile, Ernst Russ, the owner of the Solong vessel, said that none of the containers on board were filled with sodium cyanide, as had been reported
• A Downing Street spokesperson says there "doesn't appear to be any suggestion of foul play at this time"

We're continuing to track the movements of the Solong off the East Yorkshire coast, but we can now bring you an update from the prime minister's office.

"I understand there doesn't appear to be any suggestions of foul play at this time," the Downing Street spokesperson says about the collision of the two vessels in the North Sea on Monday.

As we've been reporting, the incident set ablaze both the Portuguese Solong cargo ship and the US-flagged Stena Immaculate on Monday.

The fire on the Stena Immaculate appears to have since been extinguished, while the Solong continues to burn, according to the latest updates.

We're continuing to track the movements of the Solong via live helicopter images, which you can watch at the top of this page.

The pictures appear to show the Portuguese cargo ship being tugged by another vessel, with a line attaching them.

There are two boats on either side of the Solong spraying water onto it.

We're now getting the first images of the drifting cargo ship - which Mike Kane has just highlighted in the Commons began drifting southwards once it broke free from the Stena Immaculate overnight.

Modelling suggests that if it remains afloat, the Solong will stay clear of land for the next few hours, the Labour MP adds.

You can see these images by pressing watch live above.

Mike Kane is now speaking in the Commons.

The minister for aviation, maritime and security begins by praising the rescue efforts and all those involved, thanking first responders for tackling the "challenging" and fast-moving situation.

He recalls the order of events as he knows it, saying that at 09:47 GMT on Monday the Solong vessel collided with the US vessel on the North Sea. He says fire immediately broke out and crews abandoned ship.

Kane says the fire on the Stena Immaculate vessel has been extinguished, but fire in the Solong persists.

He adds that the assessment from experts is that it is unlikely that the Solong will remain afloat.

He confirms that 13 of the 14 sailors on the Solong were rescued, and the working assumption is that the missing sailor is deceased.