North Sea collision timeline: How devastating oil tanker crash unfolded
But a 'massive' ship 'came out of the blue' on Monday morning and smashed into the 183-metre oil tanker, causing an instant fireball which was still burning 24 hours later.
The Portuguese-flagged cargo ship Solong collided with the tanker laden with 35 million litres of US military jet fuel.
A huge 12-hour rescue operation involving lifeboats and helicopters was launched with 36 people brought to shore. One sailor is missing, presumed dead, and another was rushed to hospital, HM coastguard said.
An American sailor onboard the Stenna Immaculate told CBS News he only had seconds to react after hearing shouts to brace before the devastating impact.
The 140-metre Solong did not immediately stop and drove into his ship for what seemed like 10 minutes as flames immediately erupted around him, he added.
The decision was made to abandon ship and once all the crew members had been accounted for. They left the vessel on a lifeboat, with the captain being the last person to disembark, he said.
The oil tanker's management firm, Crowley, has since revealed it sustained a ruptured cargo tank after it was struck, causing "multiple explosions" and jet fuel to be released into the water.
Oil spill researcher Dr Alex Lukyanov, of the University of Reading, said: 'This particular incident is troubling because it appears to involve persistent oil, which breaks up slowly in water.'
Downing Street said the collision and subsequent spill was 'extremely concerning', while the coastguard said it was assessing the 'likely counter-pollution response required'.
The government said on Tuesday that early investigations did not indicate that the incident was caused by foul play.
Dr Abdul Khalique, head of the maritime centre at Liverpool John Moores University, said a computer reconstruction of the collision suggested Solong's watch-keepers may be to blame.
He said: 'Lookout by sight may have been hampered by the poor prevailing visibility at the time of accident.
'[But] had the watch-keepers been maintaining a proper lookout by radar, they would have spotted this imminent collision threat and taken an action to avoid collision.'
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: 'We are working closely with HM Coastguard to help support the response to the incident in the North Sea. We are grateful to all emergency personnel for their continued efforts.'
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander added: 'I am hugely grateful to HM Coastguard, the RNLI and emergency services who have responded to this incident.
'They were on the scene swiftly, have helped rescue those in immediate danger and I know they will continue to work tirelessly over the coming days. My thoughts are with all those involved, especially the family of the missing crew member.
'The Maritime Accident Investigation Branch has begun a preliminary assessment, and I am working closely with the MCA (Maritime and Coastguard Agency) as they conduct an assessment of any counter-pollution response which may be required over the coming days.'
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Local police and volunteer firefighters, initially confused about the chemical released, approached the wreck without breathing protection — even standing in the cloud. The initial evacuation area was too small, investigators later found, and many nearby residents spent hours in the exposure zone. More than 700 residents and responders reported symptoms of chemical exposure. A subsequent NTSB report found the poor emergency response contributed to the severity of the accident. 'We've never experienced anything of this magnitude in my entire career,' said Chris Wachter, Paulsboro's police chief at the time of the derailment. 'We were untrained for it. We were ill-prepared for it.' Paulsboro fire officials declined to be interviewed for this story. Emergency officials for Gloucester County — which includes Paulsboro — also declined an interview but said in an emailed statement there has been 'significant improvement' in the capabilities of the county's Hazardous Materials Team and relationships with municipal first responder organizations. Vinyl chloride represents just a fraction of the hazardous chemicals that move regularly on the rails. A Howard Center analysis of RailState's data found that, excluding petroleum and alcohol, the top hazardous chemicals moved by train include sulfuric acid, chlorine, hydrochloric acid and ammonia — all highly toxic, and potentially lethal in high concentrations. Vinyl chloride is a key ingredient in PVC plastic, used in construction and packaging materials. Chlorine is a widely used disinfectant and is used in water treatment plants across the U.S. Sulfuric acid and ammonia make fertilizer used on farms. Many hazardous chemicals can move more than a thousand miles by train from manufacturer to end user, the Howard Center analysis found. Federal dollars for preparedness getting tighter Though the disasters in Paulsboro and East Palestine prompted calls for improved hazmat preparedness for firefighters, many departments don't have the resources. Federal funding is a major source of training and equipment for fire departments, but it increasingly falls short of the demand. Money given out by grant programs has dramatically declined in recent years, even as costs have gone up for fire departments, said Sarah Wilson Handler, vice president for grants at Lexipol, a firm that provides consulting services to police and fire departments. In fiscal year 2024, fire departments across the country requested nearly $4 billion in funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program, but the agency only made $291 million available. Port Huron, Michigan, can't afford to skimp on emergency preparedness for toxic chemical spills. Located on the Canadian border, the city of 30,000 sits across the St. Clair River from what locals call 'Chemical Valley,' where dozens of chemical plants and oil refineries are clustered in Sarnia, Ontario. Many of these chemicals are exported to the U.S. According to the St. Clair County emergency operations plan, it's the second-most highly trafficked border crossing in the country for toxic chemicals. Over the last six months, RailState data showed an average of 450 train cars with hazardous material placards passed through a mile-long tunnel that runs under the St. Clair River between the U.S. and Canada. A placard indicates the car is loaded with hazardous material or contains hazmat residue. In 2019, a Canadian National train derailed inside that tunnel, spilling over 12,000 gallons (45,400 liters) of sulfuric acid. The response counted on a web of support from local and state agencies, railroad hazmat specialists and Canadian authorities, all under the direction of the Environmental Protection Agency. But the future of federal support — including the grant money the county hazmat team covering Port Huron relies on — is uncertain. President Donald Trump has repeatedly questioned the future of FEMA, and the federal disaster agency has seen severe cuts and staff departures in recent weeks. Port Huron Fire Chief Corey Nicholson said federal dollars ebb and flow, but he's worried about the potential for funding cuts. When grants dry up, spending on hazmat gear and training gets harder. 'Do I spend my money on the single-family dwelling fires that I know are going to happen that are high risk, high frequency? Or do I spend money on a bunch of equipment that I'll probably never use?' Nicholson asked. 'There's so many mouths to feed and there's only so much money to do it with.' ___ Aline Behar Kado, Paul Kiefer, Alaysia Ezzard, Ijeoma Opara, Menna Ibrahim, Molecule Jongwilai, Marijke Friedman, Josephine Johnson, April Quevedo, Tiasia Saunders and Declan Bradley of the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism contributed reporting and data analysis for this story. ___ The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the University of Maryland is funded by a grant from the Scripps Howard Foundation in honor of newspaper pioneer Roy W. Howard.
