A ‘massive fireball’ was seen engulfing an oil tanker after it was struck by a container ship in the North Sea ten miles off the coast of Yorkshire, northern England.
The alarm was first raised shortly before 10 am. A Coastguard helicopter was despatched from Humberside, together with lifeboats from RNLI Skegness, Bridlington, Maplethorpe and Cleethorpes.
A Coastguard fixed-wing aircraft and nearby vessels with firefighting capabilities also rushed to the scene.
Latest reports say the tanker is the US-flagged Stena Immaculate, a 183m-long fuel-supply ship for the US Military. She was struck while at anchor by the Portuguese-flagged 140m-long container ship Solong.
According to ship tracking website Vessel Finder, Solong was travelling at 16 knots when she struck the tanker, which is believed to be carrying Jet-A1 fuel for aircraft.
At least 32 people have now been brought ashore in the town of Grimbsy, including some crew members who were forced to abandon ship in the wake of the collision and ensuing blaze.
The BBC reports that the crew of the tanker is ‘safe and accounted for’, according to the vessel’s owners. The complement of Solong’s crew is not known.
It is too early to determine the full extent of the damage to the vessels nor the amount of oil or other pollutants that may have been spilt into the environment.
Meanwhile, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch has sent investigators to the town.
A spokesperson for the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said: ‘Our team of inspectors and support staff are gathering evidence and undertaking a preliminary assessment of the accident to determine our next steps.’
Vessel Finder YouTube video detailing the moment of impact (Video: Vessel Finder/YouTube)
