MAIB interim report adds detail to Solong-Stena Immaculate collision, names lost crewman

An investigation into the explosive collision between a container feeder vessel and an MR2 tanker in the UK’s North Sea has begun to confirm details surrounding the incident. 

The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its interim report on the early March 2025 incident that saw Stena Immaculate speared by Portugal-flagged container feeder vessel Solong while at anchor in the North Sea off the coast of the UK region of Yorkshire and The Humber. 

The incident, which is believed to have claimed the life of one of Solong’s crew, happened under reduced visibility conditions, as a video of the collision shows, which the MAIB referred to as "patchy and varying between 0.25 nautical miles (nm) and 2.00 nm".

The MAIB report named the presumed deceased crewman as able seaman Mark Pernia and said Mr Pernia had been reported as being in the forecastle area of Solong at the time of the collision.

Intense fires on board both vessels following the collision made crew attempts to search for the missing sailor and to fight the fires on board both vessels difficult, according to the MAIB report.

"The collision breached Stena Immaculate’s No.7 port cargo tank, releasing aviation fuel into the sea and onto the bow of Solong. The aviation fuel was ignited by the heat generated by the force of the collision and the resulting fire ignited the contents of containers carried on board Solong. The crews of both Solong and Stena Immaculate took immediate action to address the evolving situation. Attempts by Stena Immaculate’s crew to fight the fire, and for Solong’s crew to locate the missing able seaman were hampered by the severity of the fire," the MAIB report said.

Neither of the vessels had a dedicated lookout on their bridges, according to the MAIB. Stena Immaculate’s second officer had taken over the anchor watch around midnight the night before the collision, on a 12-hour shift. On Solong, the vessel’s captain took the bridge as the vessel’s lone watchkeeper from 07:00 GMT. 

"At 0947, Solong collided with the anchored Stena Immaculate’s port side on a heading of 150° and speed over the ground of about 16 knots," the MAIB report said.

With both vessels still undergoing salvage operations and assessments continuing into the extent of pollution caused by the incident, the MAIB said its investigation remains ongoing. At its conclusion, "in due course", the MAIB said it will draft and distribute an initial final report to stakeholders for a 30-day review and consultation process. 

The final investigation will, according to the MAIB, encompass navigation and watchkeeping practices; manning and fatigue management; the vessels’ condition and maintenance; the use of the offshore area as an anchorage and environmental factors.

The UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) co-ordinated the multi-agency response to the incident that included the UK’s HM Coastguard and other local and national agencies.

An update from the HM Coastguard on the progress of salvaging the two vessels said the container feeder ship Solong had reached safe harbour in Scotland after a three-day towing operation.

Chief Coastguard Paddy O’Callaghan said, “Solong is now safely berthed at the Port of Aberdeen where further salvage operations will be undertaken. Salvage of Stena Immaculate continues to be progressed. This includes the transfer of its cargo to another vessel that may begin as early as this weekend."

According to the Coastguard chief, future decisions in respect to Solong’s salvage "are now a commercial matter, accordingly this will be the final MCA update in relation to this vessel".