Oil tanker and cargo ship collide off UK coast

According to reports by the British Royal Coast Guard, a tanker and a cargo ship collided in the North Sea off the coast of East Yorkshire, UK, on Monday (10).

According to the BBC, the CEO of Grimsby East Port confirmed that 32 people were rescued. Thirteen were brought ashore by a vessel, followed by ten more in a pilot boat and the remaining nine in a final rescue operation. There was no immediate update on their condition.

The same report indicates that the entire tanker crew—more than 20 people—has been accounted for and is safe. However, there is still no official information regarding the status of those aboard the cargo ship.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution said multiple crew members abandoned ship after the collision. Both vessels reportedly caught fire, and emergency teams were working to contain the blazes.

The ships involved were identified as the Solong (459 feet long) and the Stena Immaculate (600 feet). The BBC reported that the Stena Immaculate, a tanker, had departed from Greece and was headed for Killingholme, UK. It is one of ten vessels listed under a U.S. government program to supply fuel to military forces in conflict zones.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), a United Nations agency, said it was closely monitoring the situation and had launched an investigation.

“His Majesty’s Coastguard is currently coordinating the emergency response following reports of a collision between a tanker and a cargo ship off the coast of East Yorkshire,” a spokesperson said.

“The alarm was raised at 9:48 a.m. local time. A Humberside Coastguard rescue helicopter was deployed, along with lifeboats from Skegness, Bridlington, Mablethorpe, and Cleethorpes, a fixed-wing aircraft from His Majesty’s Coastguard, and nearby vessels equipped with firefighting capabilities.”

Source: CBN

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