LONDON, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Virginia McVea, chief executive of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said on Wednesday there have been no further reports of pollution to the sea from either vessel beyond what was observed following the collision in the North Sea.

The incident occurred on Monday when the Portuguese-flagged cargo ship Solong and the U.S.-registered tanker Stena Immaculate collided off the East Yorkshire coast. A crew member from the cargo ship remains missing and is presumed dead after search and rescue efforts were called off late on Monday.

Police have launched a criminal investigation into the cause of the collision. "Detectives are continuing to conduct extensive lines of inquiry alongside partners in connection with the collision," police authorities said.

The captain of a cargo ship involved in a collision is a Russian national, the vessel's owner confirmed on Wednesday. The rest of the crew comprised Russian and Filipino nationals, according to German shipping company Ernst Russ.

The 59-year-old captain remains in custody after being arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter on Tuesday.

According to Coastguard Divisional Commander Matthew Atkinson, 36 people were rescued, with one individual taken to hospital.

At the time of the accident, the Stena Immaculate had traveled from the Greek port of Agioi Theodoroi and was anchored outside Hull, while the Solong was en route from Grangemouth, Scotland, to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Enditem

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