Cargo Ship Captain Arrested Over Collision With Oil Tanker

The captain of a cargo ship that collided with an oil tanker in the North Sea on Monday has been arrested. The collision of the Portuguese-flagged, German-owned Solong container ship and the US-registered Stena Immaculate oil tanker off the coast of England caused a massive fireball, and the Solong's captain was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter because one of that ship's crew members is still missing and presumed dead, the BBC reports. The search for the man has been called off, the Guardian reports. Another 36 people were rescued, one of whom was hospitalized, NPR reports. It's still not clear what exactly went wrong to cause the collision, but media outlets are delving into environmental concerns:

• Greenpeace weighs in: A spokesperson for the eco-activism group says "the magnitude of any [environmental] impact will depend on … the amount and type of oil carried by the tanker, the fuel carried by both ships, and how much of that … has entered the water."
• Highly toxic compound was not on board: Initial reports suggested the Solong was carrying sodium cyanide, prompting fears of a massive environmental disaster, but the owner of the ship clarified Tuesday that it was only carrying empty containers that used to contain the toxic compound, CNN reports.
• Even so: The jet fuel being carried by the oil tanker is leaking into the sea and could still do harm, but not as much as a crude oil spill would do, experts say. An exclusion zone has been established around the vessels while the UK's coast guard assesses the situation, CBS News reports. The sea is home to several protected marine animals and is also an important area for fishing fleets.
• Few concerns for those on land: Air quality was reported to be normal in the area, and officials said the public health risk on nearby shores was "very low."

(More North Sea stories.)