Emergency services reported that on Monday, an oil tanker and a cargo ship collided off the eastern coast of England, igniting both vessels and triggering a significant rescue effort. Although their conditions were not immediately clear, at least 32 casualties were brought ashore. The chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East, Martyn Boyers, stated that a Windcat 33 vessel brought in 13 casualties, while a harbor pilot boat brought in 19 more. According to the British Maritime and Coastguard Agency, a number of lifeboats, a coast guard rescue helicopter, a coast guard plane, and nearby firefighting vessels were sent to the North Sea scene. The RNLI lifeboat agency said, “there were reports that a number of people had abandoned the vessels following a collision and there were fires on both ships.” According to the report, the coast guard and three lifeboats were conducting search and rescue at the scene. The BBC broadcast video that apparently was shot from a nearby vessel showed both ships spewing thick black smoke. The port chief, Boyers, stated that he had been informed that there was “a massive fireball.” He stated, “We have seen the vessels bringing them in, but it’s too far out for us to see – about 10 miles.” According to the ship-tracking website VesselFinder, the tanker, which is thought to be the U.S.-flagged chemical and oil products carrier MV Stena Immaculate, was at anchor at the time after sailing from Greece. The container ship Solong, registered in Portugal, was transporting cargo from Grangemouth, Scotland, to Rotterdam, Netherlands. According to the Coast Guard, the alarm went off at 9:48 a.m. (0948 GMT). The collision occurred about 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of London off the coast of Hull.
Rescue operation underway after oil tanker, cargo ship collide near England
