LONDON (AP) — A cargo ship hit a tanker carrying jet fuel for the American military off the coast of eastern England Monday, setting both vessels on fire and sending fuel pouring into the North Sea.
The collision triggered a major rescue operation by lifeboats, coast guard aircraft and commercial vessels. All 37 crew members aboard the two vessels were safe and accounted for, with one hospitalized, local lawmaker Graham Stuart said.
Stuart said he was concerned “about the potential ecological impact” of the spill.
The U.S.-flagged chemical and oil products tanker MV Stena Immaculate was at anchor near the port of Grimsby on Monday morning after sailing from Greece, according to ship-tracking site VesselFinder. The cargo vessel, Portugal-flagged container ship Solong, was sailing from Grangemouth in Scotland to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
U.S.-based maritime management firm Crowley, which operates the Stena Immaculate, said the tanker “sustained a ruptured cargo tank containing Jet-A1 fuel,” when the container ship struck it, triggering a fire and “multiple explosions onboard,” with fuel released into the sea.
It said all 23 of the mariners on the tanker were safe and accounted for.
The Stena Immaculate was operating as part of the U.S. government’s Tanker Security Program, a group of commercial vessels that can be contracted to carry fuel for the military when needed.
Britain’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the alarm was raised at 9:48 a.m. (0948 GMT). Humber Coast Guard made a radio broadcast asking vessels with firefighting equipment and those who could help with search and rescue to head to the scene off the coast near Hull, about 155 miles (250 kilometers) north of London.
The RNLI lifeboat agency said “there were reports that a number of people had abandoned the vessels following a collision and there were fires on both ships.” It said three lifeboats were working on search and rescue at the scene alongside a coast guard rescue helicopter and a coast guard plane.
Video footage aired by British broadcasters and apparently filmed from a nearby vessel showed thick black smoke pouring from both ships.
Martyn Boyers, chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East, said he had been told there was “a massive fireball.”
Boyers said casualties were brought in on a Windcat 33 high-speed vessel and a harbor pilot boat.
“It’s too far out for us to see – about 10 miles – but we have seen the vessels bringing them in,” he said. “They must have sent a mayday out. Luckily there was a crew transfer vessel out there already. Since then, there has been a flotilla of ambulances to pick up anyone they can find.”
U.K. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was being kept up to date on the developing situation
“I want to thank all emergency service workers involved for their continued efforts in responding to the incident,” she said.
Greenpeace U.K. said it was “too early to assess the extent of any environmental damage” from the collision, which took place in a busy fishing ground and close to major seabird colonies.
Scientists said the environmental impact might be less severe than with a spill of heavier crude oil.
Mark Sephton, Professor of Organic Geochemistry at Imperial College London, said jet fuel biodegrades more quickly than crude oil, and warmer temperarures also speeds biodegration.
“In the end, it all depends on the rate of introduction of fuel and the rate of destruction by bacteria,” he said. “Let’s hope the latter wins out.”
Jill Lawless, The Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — A cargo ship hit a tanker carrying jet fuel for the American military off the coast of eastern England Monday, setting both vessels on fire and sending fuel pouring into the North Sea. The collision triggered a major rescue operation by lifeboats, coast guard aircraft and commercial vessels. All 37 crew members
LONDON (AP) — The boss of an English port says more than 20 casualties have been brought ashore after a collision between an oil tanker and a cargo ship in the North Sea.
Martyn Boyers, chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East, said 13 casualties were brought in on a Windcat 33 vessel, followed by another 10 on a harbor pilot boat.
He said some crew were still unaccounted for,
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. THE AP’S PREVIOUS STORY FOLLOWES BELOW:
An oil tanker and a cargo ship collided off the coast of eastern England Monday, setting both vessels on fire and triggering a major rescue operation, emergency services said.
Britain’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency said several lifeboats and a coast guard rescue helicopter were dispatched to the scene in the North Sea, along with a coast guard plane and nearby vessels with firefighting capability.
The RNLI life boat agency said “there were reports that a number of people had abandoned the vessels following a collision and there were fires on both ships.” It said three lifeboats were working on search and rescue at the scene alongside the coast guard.
Video footage aired by the BBC and apparently filmed from a nearby vessel showed thick black smoke pouring from both ships.
The tanker, believed to be the U.S.-flagged chemical and oil products carrier MV Stena Immaculate, was at anchor at the time after sailing from Greece, according to ship-tracking site VesselFinder. The cargo vessel, Portugal-flagged container ship Solong, was sailing from Grangemouth in Scotland to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
Coast guards said the alarm was raised at 9:48 a.m. (0948 GMT). The site of the collision is off the coast of Hull, about 155 miles (250 kilometers) north of London.
The Associated Press
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