Collision between Oil Tanker and Cargo Ship Ignites Gargantuan Flame Near U.K. Shoreline
A maritime mishap unfolded off the eastern coast of the UK early Monday morning, as a container ship crashing into an oil tanker set fire to the scene and released gallons of oil into the North Sea. Emergency responders are actively managing the situation. Locals informed reporters that one person was hospitalized due to the collision, while 36 crew members were safely evacuated. All crew members are currently accounted for.
The ships involved in the collision were the Stena Immaculate (an oil tanker registered in the U.S.) and the Solong (a container ship sailing under the Portuguese flag). The Solong departed from a Scottish port on Sunday and was headed to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. At the time of impact, the Stena Immaculate was anchored, leading to questions about the incident's circumstances.
David Mcfarlane, a maritime safety consultant, voiced his concerns to BBC News, stating, "There should be no reason for two ships to collide" under normal conditions and that "something has gone very badly wrong." While it's standard for ships to be placed on autopilot, there is supposed to be someone on watch to make necessary course corrections. Mcfarlane speculates that understanding the cause of the collision may take "weeks if not months."
Martyn Boyers, the chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East, echoed those sentiments to CNN, describing the incident as "difficult to suggest what went on, other than the fact it should never have happened."
The UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch is now investigating the crash, and no signs of malicious activity have been detected. It's worth mentioning here that the Stena Immaculate carried jet fuel owned by the U.S. military, leading to a fire and explosions on board. Consequently, the crew was forced to evacuate, and it is suspected that the jet fuel has been leaking into the North Sea, possibly causing some minor environmental impact. Despite being lighter and more refined, jet fuel can still have an adverse environmental impact when spilled.
- The future of the North Sea's ecology is a concern as the collision between the Stena Immaculate and the Solong may have caused a minor environmental impact, due to the leaking of jet fuel owned by the U.S. military.
- The incident is believed to have taken weeks, if not months, to understand its cause, according to maritime safety consultant David McFarlane.
- It's worth noting that Reuters reported on daylight's events, when locals informed them that one person was hospitalized due to the collision, while all crew members aboard the ships, including those on the tech-equipped Stena Immaculate and the Solong sailing under the Portuguese flag, are currently accounted for.
- McFarlane, speaking to BBC News, voiced his concerns, stating that under normal conditions, there should be no reason for such a collision to have occurred, implying that something has gone terribly wrong, possibly implicating the role of technology or human error in the incident.
