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SEA CRASH DISASTER
Sailor missing after cargo ship smashed into oil tanker in freezing North Sea – as US military jet fuel pours into water
An expert has warned of the potential environmental 'disaster' from the leaking oil
A SAILOR is missing from a cargo ship after it smashed into an oil tanker carrying US military jet fuel in the North Sea.
"Multiple explosions" were heard as the Stena Immaculate was struck by container ship Solong, which was carrying toxic chemical sodium cyanide.
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German shipping company Ernst Russ said thirteen other crew members onboard the Solong "have been brought safely" to shore.
However, one sailor was reported missing and extensive searches for them have been called off.
Matthew Atkinson, divisional commander for HM Coastguard said: "After an extensive search for the missing crew member sadly they have not been found and the search has ended."
36 crew members from both ships were taken safely to shore, and one person was taken to hospital.
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The Stena was being chartered by the US-military as a tanker to carry jet fuel when it was struck by the cargo vessel.
Matthew added that the Maritime and Coastguard Agency is assessing any necessary response to potential pollution.
He continued: "The incident remains ongoing and updates will be provided throughout".
Fears have also arisen of an environmental disaster on the UK coast following the collision after jet fuel began spilling into the sea.
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Fuel began leaking into the water as the Stena sustained a ruptured cargo tank, raising fears of a nightmare environmental disaster.
UN Maritime Security Leader Chris Reynolds has warned that any oil spilled from the wreckage would have a "very short window" to be removed before it could pose a greater environmental threat to the area.
Oil tanker & cargo ship engulfed in flames after crash just 10 miles off UK coast sparking mammoth rescue mission
He explained that any oil that escapes could emulsify and then potentially reach the shore as an oil emulsion, which would have a "devastating effect" on wildlife.
Chris added: "If the oil's not burnt off by the fire, [it] will stay there.
"There's a very short limited window which you can spray that oil and to make it disperse and go into the water column, and for microbes to ease up the oil naturally over time."
If the oil emulsifies, Chris warns that it would expand by 10 times in volume, worsening the risk to the environment.
Currently, 130,000 barrels of jet fuel, which were being carried onboard the 183m-long tanker, are leaking into the sea, according to analytics firm Vortexa.
Chris said: "[It's] quite a short window and the Coast Guard have the right aircraft to do that spraying.
"But if the window's gone, what happens then is the oil on the surface becomes emulsified, it expands by 10 times in volume."
The clash caused "multiple explosions" and the jet fuel to be released into the water, the ship’s management firm Crowley said.
Sodium cyanide, which was onboard the Solong, is a white crystal-like solid with a faint almond odour used in industries for metal cleaning, plating and extraction, and photography, according to the (UKHSA).
The highly toxic chemical can interfere with the respiration of animals in the water and can generate a toxic gas if heated up.
It is unclear whether any of the substance has yet entered the water.
The Solong was carrying 15 containers of the toxic compound, according to a report from maritime data provider Lloyd's List Intelligence.
After the two vessels collided off the East Yorkshire coast, some crew were brought to safety but others remain unaccounted for after fleeing into the North Sea.
Local MP Graham Stuart said there is one person in hospital but 36 mariners rom both crews are "safe and accounted for."
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The US-flagged vessel is understood to have been anchored off the Humber Estuary when it was struck by Portuguese MV Solong.
Martyn Boyers, chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East, said 13 casualties were initially brought in on a Windcat 33 vessel, followed by another 10 on a harbour pilot boat.
Another nine have since been brought ashore.
He warned that the container ship may have been on autopilot at the time of the crash.
Mr Boyers said: "Autopilot just steers a course, they don't deviate, there's no bend in the sea."
He had been told there was "a massive fireball", adding: "It's too far out for us to see - about 10 miles - but we have seen the vessels bringing them in.
"They must have sent a mayday out - luckily there was a crew transfer vessel out there already.
"Since then there has been a flotilla of ambulances to pick up anyone they can find."
Sal Mercogliano, a maritime historian at Campbell University, said when the Salong was heading southboard that's when the vessel was likely put on autopilot.
He said: "I get a distinct impression here that no one is really paying attention on board Solong.
"This vessel is on a track that the vessel has done multiple times before, Solong.
"One of the things we know that happens on board ships, there’s only two things that cause accidents - it’s either mechanical error or human error.
"In this case the ship seems to be following its normal track line it always does, which makes me think the man on watch is not paying attention to the traffic that’s ahead, got distracted, who knows what happened here."
The White House has reportedly not ruled out foul play, according to maritime website Captain.
Stena Immaculate is believed to have been carrying jet fuel - a highly flammable substance.
It was on a short-term charter to US military sealift command when it was hit off northeast England, a US military spokesperson told Reuters.
The casualties' conditions remain unclear - but Mr Boyers has confirmed that all 32 were alive when they arrived in the port.
A spokesperson for East Midlands Ambulance Service said: "We received a call at 11.28am on Monday 10 March to North Quay in Grimsby.
"We've sent multiple resources, including our Hazardous Area Response Team, and we are currently still on scene."
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UN Maritime Security Leader Chris Reynolds thinks the chance of it being an engine failure or steering failure is very small.
He said: "There's actions you could do if either of those happen, but they don't appear to have done anything, and so it means that there wasn't sufficient observance of the collision regulations on the bridge.
"It looks like that the Solong was not keeping a proper watch, and had failed to recognise the danger of approaching the Stena Immaculate, which appears to be an anchor.
"The Stena Immaculate can't get out of the way if it's an anchor and it appears that the Solong just ran straight into it."
LOCALS TOLD TO SEAL WINDOWS
Locals have been warned to seal their windows as huge plumes of black smoke billow into the sky from both vessels.
The flames can be seen tearing through the ships in footage posted online.
Lifeboats from Skegness, Bridlington, Mablethorpe and Cleethorpes, were scrambled, alongside firefighters and a coastguard rescue helicopter.
The incident unfolded at just before 9.50am on Monday - with the nearest village to the scene Withernsea.
It's understood the cargo ship collided with the tanker, which was anchored off the Humber Estuary.
Speaking to Sky News, maritime expert David McFarlane said the blame likely fell with the moving ship - as it can take as much as an hour for a stationary vessel to raise its anchor.
He said: "Reading between the lines in this case, if that tanker was remaining at anchor, as it's been reported, then obviously she's got a very limited liability.
"There's not a lot you can do apart from picking up the anchor, which can take almost up to an hour to do, by which time… the apparent collision is probably well and truly past."
However, he stressed that it was too early to determine a cause for the incident.
Audio footage has also been released capturing HM Coastguard personnel during the emergency call.
They say: “Solong collided with tanker Stena Immaculate. Both vessels are abandoning.
“Vessels who have firefighting equipment or who can assist with search and rescue, contact Humber Coastguard on [radio] channel 16.
“Vessel Stena Immaculate is carrying Jet A1 fuel, which is on fire and in the water. Request vessels remain at a safe distance.”
Stena Immaculate is 600ft long and 30,000 tonnes and a chemical and oil tanker.
It was built in 2017, according to the Stena Bulk website - and later chartered by the US Department of Defence and the US Maritime Administration.
Solong is 460ft long and 8,000 tonnes and a container ship.
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A Coastguard spokesperson said: "HM Coastguard is currently co-ordinating the emergency response to reports of a collision between a tanker and cargo vessel off the coast of East Yorkshire.
"The alarm was raised at 9.48am. A Coastguard rescue helicopter from Humberside was called, alongside lifeboats from Skegness, Bridlington, Maplethorpe and Cleethorpes, an HM Coastguard fixed wing aircraft, and nearby vessels with fire-fighting capability.
"The incident remains ongoing."
A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said: “Six fire engines and one aerial vehicle are currently in attendance at this industrial fire involving an oil tanker.
“Firefighters were called at 8.34am this morning and are continuing to tackle the fire.
“Those living or workng nearby should continue to keep windows and doors closed.”
Navy Lookout X account said: "Search & Rescue helicopters attending Oil tanker MV Stena Immaculate on fire after being struck by container ship MV Solong while at anchor off the Humber Estuary this morning."
The Solong had been due to travel to Rotterdam in the Netherlands after departing from Grangemouth in Scotland this morning, according to Marinetraffic.com.
Moving images on the tracking site suggest the oil tanker had remained stationary as the Solong headed straight towards it before the collision.
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It is believed the Stena Immaculate, which was travelling from Greece to the United Kingdom, was anchored at the time, .
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