The container tanker collided has carried aviation fuel

A tanker carrying aviation fuel to the US Army was struck by a container near Northeastern England on Monday. The collision lit flames in both ships, causing multiple explosions and forcing the two crews to leave the ship.

The tanker, which can carry tens of thousands of tons of reactive fuel, was anchored when the smaller container struck it, tearing its loading compartment and dropping fuel into the sea, his operator said. The owner « Wall of Bulk » gave the same details.

Two sources of marine security said there were no indications of malicious activity or other participants involved in the incident.

Local authorities said that 32 were victims were greeted by ambulances, but until mid-afternoon only one remained in hospital.

But there is still a risk of environmental damage, experts said.

The Stena Immaculate tanker, run by the American logistics group Crowley, transported fuel JET-A1 when it was struck by a floating Solong cargo carrier while anchored near Hull, writes Crowley in X.

The tanker is part of a US government program designed to supply the armed forces with fuel when needed. A spokesman for the US Army told Reuters on Monday that the ship was on a short -term charter at the US Navy Military Command.

Solong transports 15 sodium cyanide containers, a toxic chemical used mainly in gold yield, and an unknown amount of alcohol, according to a report on a marine data supplier Lloyd's List Intelligence.

Emergency teams sent a helicopter, a fixed wings, rescue boats and nearby vessels with the ability to extinguish a fire to the incident on Monday morning. « As a result of the impact, a fire arose and it was reported that fuel had been dropped, » Crowley said, adding that there were many explosions on board.

Environmental

Martin Slater, Director of Operations at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said the East Yorkshire coast is home to protected and significant seabird colonies, including pops and gatives, with many offshore in the sea before the nest season.

A Greenpeace spokesman said that any impact would depend on factors, including the amount and type of oil transported by the tanker, the fuel transported from the two ships, and how much of it, if any, had entered the water, plus the weather conditions.

An insurance specialist said the risk of pollution was lower than if the tanker was transporting crude oil. « Much depends on the cargo carried, how many tanks are drilled and how strong the fire is, » the insurance source said.

Mark Sefton, a professor of organic geochemistry at Imperial College London, added that relatively small hydrocarbons of reactive fuel can be degraded by bacteria faster than larger molecules. « The fact that we are moving to higher temperatures will also speed up the pace of biodegradation, » he said.

The incident took place in a busy waterway, with traffic moving from ports along the Northeast coast of Britain to the Netherlands and Germany, sources from the ship industry said.

The Marine Analysis Website Marinetraffic said the 183-meter Stena Immaculate was anchored near Immimh, Northeastern England when it was hit by the 140-meter Solong, which was on the way to Rotterdam.

Norway's SKULD ship insurer has only confirmed that Solong is covered with it for protection and compensation (P&I), a segment of insurance that covers environmental damage and injuries or crew deaths.

The Solong Manager, Hamburg -based Ernst Rus, did not immediately answer a request for comment. P & I Stena Immaculate insurer, which was referred to as Steamship, did not immediately answer a request for a comment.