…#oil spills into the #sea have the potential to have significant impacts for #MarineLife, & have been responsible for the some of the worst #environmental disasters in the #UK.

The SS Torrey Canyon ran aground in Cornwall in 1967 which led to >100k tons of crude oil being spilt into the English Channel, killing thousands of sea birds.
The size of the spill, weather & sea conditions, & the type of oil being carried play a big role in the outcomes for #wildlife.

The #UK #Coastguard says it is assessing the "likely" counter-#pollution response required following the #NorthSea collision.

"The incident remains ongoing & an assessment of the likely counter pollution response required is being enacted," a UK Coastguard spokesperson says, as the incident off the east coast of #England continues.

In a statement, the Florida based company said: “A fire occurred as a result of the allision, & #fuel was reported released. The #StenaImmaculate crew abandoned the vessel following multiple explosions onboard. All Crowley mariners are safe & fully accounted for.”

The #JetFuel was owned by the #US govt. That’s consistent w/the vessel being part of a US govt program designed to supply the armed forces w/fuel during times of armed conflict or national emergency.

#US logistics firm Crowley, which is the operator & joint owner of the MV #StenaImmaculate, says the vessel was carrying #jet #fuel when it was hit by the #Solong in the #NorthSea at approximately 10:00 GMT.

All of its crew of >20 are now safe & accounted for - but there are fears that jet fuel is now pouring into the #sea.

The #US-flagged #StenaImmaculate appears to have been hit while at anchor by the Portuguese-flagged container #Solong, according to tracking data analysed by BBC Verify

The Stena Immaculate is one of just 10 vessels the #USmilitary uses to carry its #fuel during conflicts or emergencies; there's no indication of how it was being used at the time of the crash

32 people have been brought ashore after a cargo vessel collided w/an #OilTanker in the #NorthSea, a port boss says

All crew on the tanker US #StenaImmaculate are safe & accounted for, the shipping company tells the BBC

>20 people were onboard the tanker - we do not know the condition of the others brought ashore

Video shows thick smoke billowing out from the tanker, with reports of a "massive fireball" being seen

#oil #Britain #climate
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cgq1pwjlqq2t

Information from Marine Traffic, a website that tracks vessels, appeared to show the Stena Immaculate, a #US flagged #OilTanker, & the Solong, a container ship sailing under the Portuguese flag, on an intersecting route surrounded by emergency response vessels just off the coast of the mouth of the River #Humber, near #Hull.

Rescue helicopters were in the area, & lifeboats were deployed from a number of stations along the coast, as well as vessels w/ “firefighting capability,” the coast guard said in a statement.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution, a charity that coordinates lifeboats around the British coast, said there were reports “that a number of people had abandoned the vessels following a collision & there were fires on both ships.”