On Monday, a cargo ship collided with a US-flagged oil tanker carrying jet fuel off the northeast coast of England, causing a massive fire, a dramatic rescue operation, and concerns about potential environmental damage.
One person was hospitalized for treatment, but all 36 other crew members from both ships were “safe and accounted for,” according to Graham Stuart, a local Member of Parliament. The coastguard responded by sending helicopters, lifeboats, and firefighting vessels from nearby towns.
Just before 10 a.m. local time (6 a.m. ET), a Portuguese-flagged container ship named Solong crashed into the oil tanker, Stena Immaculate, which was anchored in the North Sea about 10 miles off the English coast.
Videos from the scene showed thick black smoke rising into the sky, with at least one of the vessels caught in flames.
Crowley, the US logistics company managing the Stena Immaculate, reported “multiple explosions on board” after the ship was struck by the Solong. The company confirmed that all crew members were safe.
The Solong had departed from the Scottish port of Grangemouth on Sunday evening and was en route to Rotterdam, Netherlands, when the collision occurred.
Martyn Boyers, the CEO of the nearby Port of Grimsby East, told CNN on Monday that he witnessed 32 people being brought ashore, with ambulances waiting to receive them.
The cause of the collision remains unclear.
“It’s quite a mystery because all vessels now have highly advanced technical equipment to navigate and detect obstacles,” Boyers said. “It’s hard to determine what exactly happened, but it should never have occurred.”
The Stena Immaculate is one of ten tankers in a US government program that provides fuel to the military. The Department of Defense’s “Tanker Security Program” ensures that a commercial fleet is available to transport liquid fuel supplies during emergencies.
Crowley, the managing company, stated that the Stena Immaculate suffered a ruptured cargo tank containing Jet-A1 fuel due to the collision. The ship had been anchored off the English coast after leaving the Greek port of Agioi Theodoroi last month.
Real-time data showed a series of high-speed ships and tugboats heading toward the collision site during the coastguard’s rescue operation.
Greenpeace UK expressed concern about the high speed of the collision and the aftermath footage, but noted it was too early to evaluate the environmental damage. A spokesperson mentioned that the potential impact depends on several factors, including the type and amount of oil carried by the tanker. In the case of an oil spill or hazardous cargo loss from the container ship, the speed of response will be critical in minimizing any environmental damage.