Focus is now shifting to the environmental impact of the blaze. While the incident is one of the most significant marine disasters in the UK for years, the country’s Health Security Agency said there is currently a very low risk to the public on shore
A US oil tanker that was struck by a container ship in the North Sea on Monday was smoldering with a gaping hole in its side, footage broadcast by BBC News showed.
Focus is now shifting to the environmental impact of the blaze. While the incident is one of the most significant marine disasters in the UK for years, the country’s Health Security Agency said there is currently a very low risk to the public on shore.
An international oil-pollution compensation fund said the jet fuel being spilled from the Stena Immaculate, which was supplying fuel for the US navy, is categorized as “non-persistent” oil. That means it is more prone to evaporating when spilled and could indicate a less-severe environmental impact than would be the case for a cargo of heavy crude or ship fuel.
One crew member aboard the container ship, the Solong, is missing and the local coast guard called off a search for them on Monday night.
“Whilst the images look worrying, from the perspective of the impact to the aquatic environment, it’s less of a concern than if this had been crude oil because most of the jet fuel will evaporate very quickly,” said Mark Hartl, a Marine Ecotoxicologist from the Centre for Marine Biodiversity & Biotechnology at Heriot-Watt University.
“Also, the fact that it happened out at sea and not closer to land or within an estuary setting is fortuitous and will minimize the environmental impact.”
The Stena Immaculate, which was supplying 220,000 barrels of jet fuel for the US Navy, leaked an unknown quantity of its cargo as a result of the crash, its manager Crowley said on Monday. IOPC Funds, which pays out in the event of leaks, said it wouldn’t do so for a jet fuel spillage.
Footage on the BBC website on Tuesday showed a big hole in at least one of its tanks, although it didn’t appear there was immediate danger of the vessel sinking. Crowley said the tanker has 16 segregated tanks, something that might help to restrict the size of the spill.
Cargo Risk
The Solong was transporting fifteen containers of sodium cyanide, according to Lloyds List Intelligence. It can release gas when spilled into water, causing adverse health effects, according to the UK’s Health Security Agency.
The Solong’s owner didn’t immediately respond to questions about what was inside the containers that the vessel was transporting.
A local politician also told the BBC that the cargo on board the Solong still wasn’t clear. The first assumption is that the incident was caused by human error on the part of whoever was at the helm of the container ship, she added.
The area close to the incident plays home to a host of ecologically important sites, including a 50 kilometer glacial tunnel known as the Silver Pit, known for its abundant marine life as well as significant bird habitats.
“If pollution spillage enters the Humber, this could potentially be devasting for the wildlife of the estuary, including important fish stocks and tens of thousands of overwintering and migrating birds who use the mud flats,” said Martin Slater, director of operations at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. “Many birds are gathering offshore on the sea ahead of the nesting season and we still have wintering waders – plus migrant birds stopping here.”
Associated British Ports said that shipping movements into the Humber estuary, which includes Immingham, Grimsby and Hull, resumed Monday evening after a halt earlier in the day. There are still some restrictions in the area, a spokesperson added.