The fiery collision in the North Sea that left one seafarer dead is set to cost insurers tens of millions of dollars, despite the worst-case scenario of a major oil spill and double wreck retrieval operation being averted.
Footage of the aftermath of the disaster suggests that the heavily damaged Portuguese-flagged 804-teu Solong (built 2005) may be a potential constructive total loss — where repair costs exceed the vessel’s value — after it ploughed into an anchored Stena Bulk tanker at 16 knots (30 km/h) on Monday.
