Tanker Damaged in North Sea Collision Sold and Reaches Turkey for Repairs

Stena Bulk confirmed today, October 24, in a brief statement that the company has sold the fire-damaged tanker Stena Immaculate, which was involved in a fiery collision in the North Sea in March 2025. The 49,729-dwt tanker burned for days after being hit by a small containership while it was anchored off the English coast.

The tanker had been laid up in the UK for months before departing in late September, with reports that it was being towed to Malta. Earlier this week, on October 21, it was spotted arriving in Tuzla, Turkey. The company responded to inquiries with a brief statement.  

Stena Bulk denied speculation that the Stena Immaculate was being recycled, saying that the tanker has been sold to a buyer who will undertake repairs at Desan Shipyard. Around the time the vessel left the UK, it had been reflagged from the United States to Malta. Crowley replaced it in the U.S. tanker program with another chartered tanker.

President & CEO of Stena Bulk, Erik Hånell, again thanked all the parties involved in the salvage and cargo transfer operations. One of the ship’s tanks was ruptured when the containership Solong struck it nearly broadside, but the crew’s fast action saved a large portion of the cargo. Stena Bulk and operator Crowley arranged for the repatriation of the crew, which survived without serious injury, and chartered another vessel to offload the jet fuel cargo. Hånell noted that the authorities continue to investigate the circumstances of the incident.

The Solong also burned for days and was finally towed to Scotland for the first phase of a salvage operation. It was sold for recycling and arrived in Belgium in August.

UK officials have been critical of the lack of lookouts on the containership, noting that there was patchy fog at the time of the incident. Stena Bulk and Crowley asserted that the tanker had the appropriate watches for a vessel at anchor. One crewmember aboard the Solong was missing after the containership struck the tanker, but while the others were successfully rescued in part by crew transfer vessels operating in the area for the offshore wind farms.