A major rescue operation is underway after an oil tanker and a cargo ship collided off the eastern coast of England, igniting fires on both vessels and leaving one crew member missing.
The United Kingdom’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency confirmed that the collision occurred on Monday off the coast of East Yorkshire.
A spokesperson said emergency services responded swiftly to the incident, which triggered a large-scale maritime rescue effort.
The German shipping company Ernst Russ, which owns the cargo vessel Solong, said one of its crew members remained unaccounted for several hours after the crash.
“Both vessels have sustained significant damage in the impact of the collision and the subsequent fire,” the firm said. “Thirteen of the 14 Solong crew members have been brought safely shore. Efforts to locate the missing crew member are ongoing.”
Both the Solong and the oil tanker, Stena Immaculate, were seen burning off England’s northeastern coast, with images from British media showing thick plumes of black smoke and towering flames rising from the site of the collision.
Local Member of Parliament Graham Stuart had initially stated that all 37 crew members from the two ships were accounted for, noting that one individual had been hospitalised.
According to Aljazeera, updated reports from the vessels’ operators confirmed that a Solong crew member remained missing.
Martyn Boyers, chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East, said that at least 32 casualties had been brought ashore, although their conditions were not immediately known. “It’s too far out for us to see – about 10 miles [16km] – but we have seen the vessels bringing them in,” he said, adding that 13 individuals arrived aboard a Windcat 33 vessel, followed by another 19 on a harbour pilot boat. Boyers described being informed of “a massive fireball” during the incident.
The coastguard agency deployed a helicopter, fixed-wing aircraft, lifeboats and fire-fighting vessels to the busy shipping lane after the alert was raised at 09:48 GMT.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), which is assisting in the rescue efforts, confirmed reports that “a number of people had abandoned the vessels”, which sparked “fires on both ships”.
Three RNLI lifeboats are currently involved in the ongoing search and rescue operation alongside the coastguard.
ALSO READ: Harry Potter actor, Simon Fisher-Becker, dies at 63
Swedish tanker company Stena Bulk confirmed ownership of the Stena Immaculate, which is operated by US-based maritime company Crowley. All 20 crew members aboard the tanker have been accounted for, the company said.
A US military spokesperson told Reuters that the Stena Immaculate was on a short-term charter to the US Navy’s Military Sealift Command, as part of a programme supplying fuel to the armed forces.
Media reports indicate the cargo ship, referred to as either Solong or So Long, is owned by German firm Reederei Koepping and was en route to Rotterdam at the time of the collision. The vessel’s manager, Hamburg-based Ernst Russ, has not yet responded to further requests for comment.
ALSO READ TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
and then