Fires ‘still raging’ after vessels collide in North Sea

Fires aboard a cargo ship and a tanker which collided in the North Sea are “still raging”, a minister said.

Matthew Pennycook said Coastguard aircraft were monitoring the site of the incident off the East Yorkshire coast.

A search for a missing crew member from the cargo ship was called off on Monday night.

HM Coastguard said efforts to find the person from the Solong container ship had ended after “an extensive search”, following the ship’s collision with the Stena Immaculate tanker on Monday morning.

The maritime company managing the Stena Immaculate, Crowley, said the vessel was struck by the Solong while anchored off the coast of Hull, causing “multiple explosions” on board and Jet A-1 fuel it was carrying to be released.

Crowley said it was unclear how much fuel may have been released, but that Stena Immaculate was carrying 220,000 barrels of jet fuel in 16 segregated cargo tanks when it was struck.

At least one tank “was ruptured”, according to the company.

The tanker was operating as part of the US government’s Tanker Security Programme, a group of commercial vessels that can be contracted to carry fuel for the military when needed.

It had been anchored while it waited for a berth to become available at the Port of Killingholme, on the River Humber, Crowley said.

It is understood the crew immediately began firefighting efforts when the crash happened but were forced to abandon the vessel because of multiple explosions.

Ship tracking website Vesselfinder shows the tanker had departed from a port in the Peloponnese region of Greece and was heading towards Hull, while the Solong was sailing to Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

According to reports, the Solong was carrying sodium cyanide, which can produce harmful gas when combined with water, but it was unclear if there had been any leak.

Mr Pennycook told Times Radio: “We are working with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to assess the impact on water pollution.

“The fire is obviously still raging.”

He added: “The Maritime and Coastguard Agency are well equipped to contain and disperse any oil spills.

“We don’t think air quality impacts are outside of normal levels, but we will keep the situation obviously under review.

“It’s a fast-moving and dynamic situation, but all the necessary services are on the ground, both investigating and taking the immediate steps required.”

The BBC reported that Boskalis, the appointed salvage operator for Stena Immaculate, said it would be “premature” to say the fire on the tanker is out.

The company added it hopes to get close enough to the vessel later on Tuesday to take temperature readings.

Melanie Onn, Labour MP for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme it would be “very worrying” if the Solong was carrying sodium cyanide.

Lifeboats and a coastguard helicopter were called to the collision in the Humber Estuary just before 10am on Monday.

One RNLI crew member told The Times the fog was so thick during the initial search and rescue crews could “not see a thing”.

It is understood the US and Portugal will lead investigations into the incident.

Hugo Tagholm, executive director of charity Oceana UK, said: “This incident is a shocking reminder of the ferocious polluting power of oil.

“We are seeing burning slicks, the threat of heavy fuel oil, and toxic chemicals leaking in or near not one but two marine protected areas (MPAs).

“Places that should be safe havens for wildlife.”

Mr Tagholm said the Southern North Sea and Holderness MPAs protect declining harbour porpoises and rich seafloor habitats, which are both highly sensitive to toxic spills.

He added: “It is also deeply concerning that the cargo vessel is reportedly carrying sodium cyanide, a severely toxic chemical that can devastate marine wildlife if in high enough concentrations.

“For now, we don’t know how much, if any, reached the water but we have sent an Oceana team to the North East to monitor developments.”

Local wildlife trusts have warned of potentially “devastating” impacts of pollution on habitats and species in the area, including threatened seabird colonies, grey seals, harbour porpoises, fish, and minke whales.

Nature-rich sites such as the Humber Estuary, where conservationists have been restoring seagrass and oysters, and Flamborough Cliffs could be hit, they warned.

Martin Slater, director of operations at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust said East Yorkshire’s coast was home to significant colonies of seabirds including puffins, razorbills, gannets and kittiwakes, which were gathering offshore ahead of the nesting season, as well as wintering waders and migrant birds.

“We’re very worried indeed about the threat to these birds,” he added.

He went on: “If pollution spillage enters the Humber, this could potentially be devastating for the wildlife of the estuary, including important fish stocks and tens of thousands of overwintering and migrating birds who use the mud flats.”

There are also concerns about the Silver Pit Marine Conservation Zone further offshore from Lincolnshire’s coast, which is “a unique habitat for fish where seabirds and cetaceans feed”.

Dr Seyedvahid Vakili, maritime expert at the University of Southampton, said: “The time required to contain and clean up sodium cyanide spills depends on factors such as the extent of the spill, weather conditions and the effectiveness of the response measures.

“Given the chemical’s high toxicity, specialised hazardous material teams are needed for clean-up operations. While minor spills might be addressed within days, larger incidents can take weeks or longer to fully remediate.

“A similar accident, the Sanchi oil tanker disaster (in the East China Sea in 2018) occurred due to poor visibility and navigational failure while waiting in an anchorage zone.

“The ship, carrying 136,000 tonnes of condensate oil, burned for over a week, releasing toxic fumes and oil slicks and causing severe ecological damage.”