Fire still on after major ship collision in North Sea
Published: 09:03 AM,Mar 11,2025 | EDITED : 01:03 PM,Mar 11,2025
Fires were still going on Tuesday, nearly 24 hours after a cargo ship ran into a tanker anchored in the North Sea, a top port official at Grimsby told AFP.
One crew member was still missing, Grimsby port chief executive Martyn Boyers said, after a cargo ship reportedly carrying sodium cyanide hit a jet fuel-laden tanker chartered by the US military about 10 miles (16 kilometres) off the eastern England port of Hull, near Grimsby.
One crew member is still unaccounted for, and the search has been called off after 'an extensive search', HM Coastguard said.
The collision involved the US-registered Stena Immaculate - which was transporting fuel on behalf of the US military - and the Portuguese-flagged Solong.
Coastguard Divisional Commander Matthew Atkinson said 36 people had been rescued, with one person taken to hospital. The missing crew member had been onboard the Solong, he said.
One of the men who was on the oil tanker told BBC News that the Solong came out of the blue and collided with the Stena Immaculate at 16 knots.
The crew scrambled to the life rafts, taking only what they had on them.
Efforts to assess any environmental damage are still ongoing after it was confirmed that some jet fuel had leaked into the sea off the Humber Estuary.
Maritime firm Crowley, which manages the Stena Immaculate, said there had been 'multiple explosions onboard' when the vessel suffered a ruptured cargo tank.
A US official confirmed the tanker had been carrying jet fuel 'in support of the Department of Defense' but said the incident would not impact operations or combat readiness.
A Coastguard rescue helicopter was sent to the scene, as well as four lifeboats and nearby vessels with fire-fighting capability.
Svitzer managing director Michael Paterson said the marine services group had sent four boats, which had been 'firefighting since they arrived and dealing with the flames'.
'The oil and jet fuel presents a problem for them. It's obviously flammable, but there's also fumes and toxins,' he said.
'The priority for us was to save the crew. I've seen some serious incidents, but this is one of the most serious.'
One crew member was still missing, Grimsby port chief executive Martyn Boyers said, after a cargo ship reportedly carrying sodium cyanide hit a jet fuel-laden tanker chartered by the US military about 10 miles (16 kilometres) off the eastern England port of Hull, near Grimsby.
One crew member is still unaccounted for, and the search has been called off after 'an extensive search', HM Coastguard said.
The collision involved the US-registered Stena Immaculate - which was transporting fuel on behalf of the US military - and the Portuguese-flagged Solong.
Coastguard Divisional Commander Matthew Atkinson said 36 people had been rescued, with one person taken to hospital. The missing crew member had been onboard the Solong, he said.
One of the men who was on the oil tanker told BBC News that the Solong came out of the blue and collided with the Stena Immaculate at 16 knots.
The crew scrambled to the life rafts, taking only what they had on them.
Efforts to assess any environmental damage are still ongoing after it was confirmed that some jet fuel had leaked into the sea off the Humber Estuary.
Maritime firm Crowley, which manages the Stena Immaculate, said there had been 'multiple explosions onboard' when the vessel suffered a ruptured cargo tank.
A US official confirmed the tanker had been carrying jet fuel 'in support of the Department of Defense' but said the incident would not impact operations or combat readiness.
A Coastguard rescue helicopter was sent to the scene, as well as four lifeboats and nearby vessels with fire-fighting capability.
Svitzer managing director Michael Paterson said the marine services group had sent four boats, which had been 'firefighting since they arrived and dealing with the flames'.
'The oil and jet fuel presents a problem for them. It's obviously flammable, but there's also fumes and toxins,' he said.
'The priority for us was to save the crew. I've seen some serious incidents, but this is one of the most serious.'