praised their "exceptional bravery". The Stena Immaculate and cargo ship Solong collided in the North Sea, off East Yorkshire, on 10 March, triggering an explosion and fires, which had now been extinguished. One crew member, a Filipino national, of the Portuguese-flagged Solong is missing and presumed dead. The Russian captain of the cargo vessel has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter. HM Coastguard said it was continuing to remove tiny plastic pellets found washed up on north Norfolk beaches and other areas around The Wash.

The Florida-based maritime operations company, Crowley, which was managing the tanker, posted a photo on social media showing 19 crew members. In a statement, it said: "Our deepest gratitude and respect goes out to our 23 mariners from the Stena Immaculate for their exceptional bravery and quick action during the recent allision to their ship in the North Sea. "Their decisive efforts and teamwork to execute critical fire and emergency duties helped to save lives, protect the integrity of the vessel and minimize the impact on the environment.

"Against disastrous circumstances, the crew had the operational focus to ensure fire monitors were active in order to provide boundary cooling water, which resulted in limited impact to just one of the 16 cargo holds." Crowley thanked all 23 for their courage and "dedication to safety". "[It] sets a powerful example for the entire industry," the company added. HM Coastguard said 36 people - from both vessels - were rescued and taken safely to shore in Grimsby. The RNLI thanked volunteer lifeboat crews from Bridlington, Cleethorpes, Humber, Mablethorpe and Skegness for their efforts in the search and rescue operation. George Pickford, the RNLI's head of region, said: "We recognise their courage and dedication as they spent hours out at sea, facing challenging conditions." Chief coastguard Paddy O'Callaghan said both the Solong and Stena Immaculate were "stable", with salvage operations continuing. "Fires on board the Solong have been extinguished and temperature monitoring has been set up," he said. (BBC/Crowley)