Police have been granted an additional 36 hours to question the captain of a container ship which crashed into a US oil tanker in the North Sea on Monday.
The 59-year-old Russian man was the captain of Solong, which struck the US tanker Stenna Immaculate off the east coast of Yorkshire.
The man was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and was taken into Humberside Police custody.
Detective Chief Superintendent Craig Nicholson said: “An extension has been granted by the magistrates’ court to detain the man in custody for a further 36 hours.
“Detectives are continuing to question him following his arrest on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the collision.
“Extensive lines of inquiry by police into any potential criminal offences which arise from the collision between the two vessels are ongoing, whilst partner agencies continue their own assessments of the incident.”
Mr Nicholson added that the force is supporting the family of a Solong crew member who went missing after the crash and is presumed dead.
Chief Coastguard Paddy O’Callaghan said “both vessels are presently stable”, although there are “small pockets of fire” on the top deck of Solong.
He said: “The Stena Immaculate remains at anchor. The Solong continues to be held in a safe location by tug.
The coastguard added that damage on the vessels is being assessed, while surveillance flights continue to monitor the two ships.
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Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the situation is “reasonably contained”.
“We’re obviously monitoring it all of the time. In terms of the cause of it, that’s yet to be determined”, he said.
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“There’s a process now in place with an arrest. But we have to get to the bottom of it.
“But the immediate thing is to deal with the problem in front of us, which is the aftermath of the collision.”
He added: “I’d just like to acknowledge the good work of those that are actually out there doing really hard work in very difficult circumstances, which they did not expect to be in.
“I pay tribute to them.”
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Asked about calls for a COBRA meeting to assess the potential environmental, Sir Keir said: “We are absolutely monitoring this 24/7 and I’ve got teams doing that and assuring me of what’s going on.
“At the moment, the situation is reasonably contained. And, obviously, we will do whatever is necessary.”
