Two ships suffered potentially beyond repair damage after colliding into each other, causing a massive fire in the North Sea off the coast of East Yorkshire.
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According to Sky News, the Stena Immaculate oil tanker collided with the Solong cargo ship on Monday, Mar. 11, just before 10 a.m. The area around the accident was reportedly surrounded by a five-mile air and sea exclusion zone. Dozens of people on the two vessels were forced to evacuate, and the Coast Guard rescued 36. One of the evacuees was rushed to a nearby hospital.
All 23 on board the oil tanker and 14 crew members of the cargo ship were accounted for. However, one of the cargo ship’s crew members is still missing. The rescued crew members were brought ashore in the port of Grimsby, about 150 miles north of London.
The Coast Guard called off its search around 9:40 p.m., but both ships were still on fire.
The oil tanker, which was on a short-term charter to the U.S. Navy, was carrying jet fuel at the time of the collision. The cargo ship had 15 containers of sodium cyanide and “an unknown quantity” of alcohol onboard.
The Fire Continues to Burn 24 Hours After the Ships Collided With Each Other
Meanwhile, the UK prepares for the extensive environmental damage that the collision will cause. British government minister Matthew Pennycook told AP News it was a “fast-moving and dynamic situation.”
Pennycook further shared that the air quality readings were normal and the Coast Guard is “well-equipped to contain and disperse any oil spills,” with equipment including booms deployed from vessels to stop oil spreading. The Coast Guard also has an aircraft that can spray dispersants on a spill.
The U.S. and Portugal, the countries from which the ships are based, will lead the investigation into the collision. The oil tank ship’s mother company stated it was unclear how much fuel had leaked into the North Sea.
It also remains unclear how much sodium cyanide from the cargo ship has leaked into the North Sea.