The US-flagged MV Stena Immaculate was anchored off the Humber Estuary, 10 miles from Hull, when it burst into flames in a fireball after the Portuguese-flagged Solong rammed into it. Stena was loaded with more than 200,000 tons of highly flammable jet fuel for US warplanes, while both vessels were powered by heavy fuel.

On Monday morning, about 13 miles off the coast of East Yorkshire, the Solong sailed into the US-registered tanker Stena Immaculate, which was carrying fuel for the US Navy. Fires broke out on board both vessels,

Vladimir Motin, 59, of Primorsky, St Petersburg, Russia, was charged by Humberside Police with Gross Negligence Manslaughter on Friday. It comes after the search was called off for a sailor missing in the aftermath of the incident of the coast of East Yorkshire.