The captain of the Solong cargo ship who was arrested after crashing into an oil tanker off the English coast is a Russian national, the vessel’s owner said Wednesday, as maritime experts search for answers.

Fears of an environmental disaster eased on Wednesday, two days after a container ship ploughed into a stationary U.S. fuel tanker off northeast England, as the vessel's owner said the detained captain was a Russian national.

On Monday, in a tragic incident, a Portuguese-flagged cargo vessel called Solong, carrying toxic chemicals, crashed into a US-flagged tanker carrying jet fuel for the US Army off the UK coast. According to the reports quoting Solong’s owner,

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,

The police in Britain detained the ship’s captain on suspicion of gross negligence after it crashed into an oil tanker that was being operated by the U.S. Navy.

Ernst Russ, which owns Solong, confirmed the vessel’s captain had been arrested by Humberside Police on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter after a crew member was presumed dead when a search-and-rescue operation was ended on Monday evening.

LONDON - The captain of a ship that hit a U.S. tanker off northeast England is a Russian national, the company which owns the vessel said, as police continued their inquiries into the accident and fears over the environmental impact of the crash eased.

The 59-year-old man was arrested after a container ship struck an oil tanker in the North Sea on Monday. A crew member was presumed dead after an extensive search was called off.