Russian captain in North Sea ship crash appears in court on gross negligence manslaughter charges

London CNN — The Russian captain of the Solong cargo ship that crashed into a US-flagged tanker earlier this week in the North Sea appeared in an English court on Saturday on charges of gross negligence manslaughter. The Portuguese-flagged Solong hit the Stena Immaculate on Monday while it was at anchor off England’s northeast coast and carrying huge amounts of jet fuel for the US military, setting fire to both vessels and prompting emergency rescue efforts by the British coastguard. In a 35-minute hearing, the court heard how the Solong had careered into the Stena Immaculate, an incident that maritime experts have called a “mystery.” Prosecutor Amelia Katz said Stena Immaculate had been anchored for more than 15 hours before the Solong, travelling at a speed of over 15 knots, crashed into it, Reuters reported. US logistics firm Crowley, which manages the tanker, said the vessel is part of the US Defense Department’s “Tanker Security Program” which “ensures a commercial fleet can readily transport liquid fuel supplies in times of need.” Britain’s coastguard said Wednesday that there was no fire visible on the Stena Immaculate, but by Friday there were still “small periodic pockets on fire” on the Solong. Greenpeace said that an environmental disaster seems to have been “narrowly averted.” “When a container ship the length of a football pitch rams into a tanker carrying thousands of tonnes of jet fuel at 16 knots close to sensitive nature sites, the potential for serious harm is huge,” Dr. Paul Johnston from the Greenpeace Research Laboratories said Wednesday.