Fires were still raging on Tuesday after a cargo ship, earlier thought to be laden with toxic chemicals, slammed into a tanker carrying flammable jet fuel in the North Sea, triggering fears of an environmental disaster.
British officials had been bracing for environmental damage and seeking answers Tuesday after a cargo ship, earlier thought to be carrying containers of sodium cyanide, hit a tanker transporting jet fuel for the US military off eastern England, setting both vessels ablaze.
The owner of the Solong, shipping company Ernst Russ, said that contrary to earlier reports, the vessel wasn’t carrying containers of sodium cyanide, which can produce harmful gas when combined with water. It said that four empty containers had previously contained the chemical.
“Our team is actively engaged with all local authorities, and we will work with cleanup teams to ensure every effort is made to mitigate further impacts on the marine environment,” the company said in a statement.
Jet fuel from a ruptured tank poured into the North Sea after the Portugal-registered container ship Solong broadsided the US-flagged tanker MV Stena Immaculate on Monday. The collision sparked explosions and fires that were still burning 24 hours later.
A Downing Street spokesperson later released a statement saying there was no “suggestion of foul play”.
British government minister Matthew Pennycook said that air quality readings were normal and the coast guards “are well-equipped to contain and disperse any oil spills”, with equipment including booms deployed from vessels to stop oil spreading, and aircraft that can spray dispersants on a spill.
The collision triggered a major rescue operation by lifeboats, coast guard aircraft and commercial vessels in the foggy North Sea.
All but one of the 37 crew members from the two vessels were brought ashore in the port of Grimsby, about 150 miles (240 kilometres) north of London, with one hospitalised. One crew member was missing, “likely deceased”, a UK government minister told parliament. The UK coastguard suspended the search late Monday.
UK Marine accident investigators have begun gathering evidence of what caused the Solong, bound from Grangemouth in Scotland to Rotterdam in the Netherlands, to hit the stationary tanker, which was anchored some 10 miles (16 kilometres) off the English coast.
The investigation will be led by the US and Portugal, the countries where the vessels are flagged.
The Stena Immaculate was operating as part of the US government’s Tanker Security Program, a group of commercial vessels that can be contracted to carry fuel for the military when needed. Its operator, US-based maritime management firm Crowley, said it was carrying 220,000 barrels of Jet-A1 fuel, some of which was released into the sea.
Greenpeace UK said it was too early to assess the extent of any environmental damage from the collision, which took place near busy fishing grounds and major seabird colonies.
Alex Lukyanov, who models oil spills at the University of Reading, said the environmental impact would depend on multiple factors, including “the size of the spill, weather conditions, sea currents, water waves, wind patterns and the type of oil involved”.
“This particular incident is troubling because it appears to involve persistent oil, which breaks up slowly in water,” he said. “The environmental toll could be severe.”
Source| France24