A U.S.-flagged oil tanker and a Portuguese-flagged cargo ship collided in the North Sea Monday morning, creating a “massive fireball,” according to a port official.
Initial reports indicate that the Stena Immaculate oil tanker was anchored about 10 miles off the coast of East Yorkshire in England when the Solong cargo ship ran into it just after 9:45 GMT. The Solong was reportedly traveling at about 16 knots. The HM Coastguard immediately began coordinating emergency response and rescue efforts with lifeboats, fixed-wing aircraft, a Coastguard helicopter, and other vessels in the area with fire-fighting capabilities.
Graham Stuart, the Member of Parliament for Beverley and Holderness, stated that the transport secretary informed him that just one individual had been admitted to the hospital after the event.“The other 36 mariners across both crews are safe and accounted for,” he said on X.
The oil tanker was carrying jet fuel reportedly owned by the U.S. government. The ship was one of 10 commercial oil tankers enrolled in a federal program to supply fuel to armed forces as needed during times of military conflict or national emergency. There are several U.S. Air Force bases in England.
Images from the collision scene show a blazing fire consuming both vessels, producing thick black smoke. The tanker’s jet fuel cargo could be spilling into the water, raising environmental concerns.
The cause of the collision is currently under investigation. Although the incident occurred during daylight hours, heavy fog in the area may have contributed to it, according to Martin Boyers, the chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East, The Guardian reported.
“Having said that, all these vessels now … they’ve got every, every bit of kit that’s known to man about how to navigate and radars and everything. So it’s a very, very unusual and tragic accident,” Boyers added.