LONDON, March 12, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The arrested captain of a cargo ship which hit a tanker in the North Sea causing a huge blaze is a Russian national, the ship's owner told AFP on Wednesday.

UK police arrested a 59-year-old man on Tuesday on suspicion of manslaughter after the Solong cargo ship, owned by Ernst Russ, slammed into the US-flagged Stena Immaculate on Monday, leaving one missing crew member presumed dead.

"Ernst Russ confirms that the master is a Russian national. The rest of the crew are a mix of Russian and Filipino nationals," the company said in a statement to AFP.