Cargo ship that collided with US tanker in North Sea towed to Scottish port of Aberdeen

LONDON — A badly damaged cargo ship which collided with a U.S. tanker in the North Sea earlier this month arrived in the Scottish port of Aberdeen Friday, following a fire that lasted for nearly a week.

Following a tug-assisted journey that lasted a few days, the Portugal-flagged Solong docked in Aberdeen for “safe berthing” and damage assessment.

The damage to the ship following its collision on March 10 with an anchored tanker, the MV Stena Immaculate, and the ensuing fire, was clearly visible from the shore. The tanker was transporting jet fuel for the U.S. military in the North Sea.

“Salvage of the Solong has progressed to enable its relocation to the Port of Aberdeen for safe berthing," said chief coastguard Paddy O’Callaghan. “The Stena Immaculate remains in a stable condition with salvage ongoing.”

A spokesperson for Ernt Russ, the company which owns the Solong, said the fire-stricken ship will be “fully assessed by specialist marine assessors and insurers” in Aberdeen.

The Solong's Russian captain, Vladimir Motin, has been remanded in custody over the death of a crew member, 38-year-old Filipino national Mark Angelo Pernia., who is missing and presumed dead. Motin, 59, has been charged with “gross negligence manslaughter” and is due to appear at the Central Criminal Court in London, better known as the Old Bailey, on April 14.

Rescuers saved 36 people from both ships.

U.K. authorities have said there is nothing to indicate the collision was connected to national security, but investigations are ongoing.

Fortunately, the environmental damage from the collision was far less than first thought, though thousands of pellets used in plastics production, known as nurdles, from the ruptured containers on the Solong have begun washing up on beaches in the east of England.

According to conservationists, the nurdles are not toxic but can harm animals if ingested.

Local authorities are working to remove the nurdles.