Footage which captured the moment two ships collided in the North Sea and burst into flames has been published for the first time.
The US-flagged MV Stena Immaculate was anchored off the Humber Estuary, 10 miles from Hull, when it was hit by the MV Solong on Monday morning.
Solong’s captain, a Russian national, has since been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
The Stena Immaculate was carrying more than 200,000 tonnes of jet fuel destined for use by US warplanes when it was hit by the Solong.
At least 37 crew aboard both vessels had an astonishing escape as ‘multiple explosions’ rocked the ships, but one Solong crew member is still missing, presumed dead.
The Solong is still alight, and environmentalists have warned of the potential impact to the environment caused by spilled oil.
Now footage taken from another ship at anchor has been released, showing the extraordinary moment the Solong collided with the Stena Immaculate, causing a huge fireball to erupt into the sky.
The footage shows a contrast between both regular footage and thermal imaging – with the regular footage unable to see the collision due to thick fog in the area.
It’s only by using thermal imaging that the ships can be seen colliding.
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