UK Court Limits Liabilities in Solong-Stena Immaculate Collision, Impacting Maritime Claims
The UK Admiralty Court has ruled to limit the liabilities of the containership Solong's owners and operators following a collision with the anchored tanker Stena Immaculate in March 2025. The incident, which occurred off the coast of England near Hull, resulted in a massive fire after a tank filled with jet fuel was breached, leading to the death of one crewmember on the Solong. The court's decision was based on the inability of Stena Bulk, the tanker's owner, and Crowley, the charterer, to prove that the Solong's owners knowingly allowed the ship to sail with issues that contributed to the collision. Justice Andrew Barker found that the tanker’s owners and operators could not meet the high threshold required to break the limitation of liabilities under Article 4 of the 1976 Convention on the Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims. Consequently, the liability is capped at approximately $20 million, to be divided among all claimants. 
