Latest news with #MartynBoyers
Al Etihad
13-03-2025
- General
- Al Etihad
Ships blaze, spill feared after North Sea crash
11 Mar 2025 15:48 Grimsby (AFP) Fires were raging on Tuesday after a cargo ship laden with toxic materials slammed into a tanker carrying flammable jet fuel in the North Sea, as questions mounted about how the accident were also growing fears that any spill from the collision could harm the local environment and coastline, home to seals, porpoises and some protected waders and on the BBC Tuesday showed a large hole in the side of the Stena Immaculate tanker as huge plumes of thick, black smoke rose from the stationary ships with smaller boats dousing the vessels with fires were "still going on" nearly 24 hours after the Portuguese-flagged Solong cargo ship ploughed into the Stena Immaculate tanker, anchored about 16 kilometres off the northeastern port of Hull, nearby Grimsby port chief executive Martyn Boyers told crew member was also still missing, he Stena Immaculate was on a short-term US military charter with Military Sealift Command, according to a spokesperson for the command that operates civilian-crewed ships for the US Defense the US-based operator of the tanker, said the crash had "ruptured" the ship's tank "containing A1-jet fuel" and triggered a fire, with fuel "reported released".The UK government's Marine Accident Investigation Branch has launched a probe into Monday's accident to determine the next UK Coastguard halted search operations late on Monday after rescuing 36 crew members from both ships. It was not immediately clear if the search had resumed early on Tuesday."One crew member of the Solong remains unaccounted for. After an extensive search for the missing crew member sadly they have not been found and the search has ended," said Matthew Atkinson, divisional commander for the Stena Immaculate was carrying around 220,000 barrels of jet fuel, according to the maritime information service, Lloyd's List Solong was laden with 15 containers of sodium cyanide, it added, but authorities have not confirmed that and it is not known if any of the flammable compound had leaked.A spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was hosting his weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday, called the situation "extremely concerning".Quoting government sources, the Daily Telegraph said there was nothing so far to indicated that "foul play" had caused the crash, but it could not be ruled out. 'Toxic hazards' A spokesman for the government's Marine Accident Investigation Branch said a team sent to Grimsby was "gathering evidence and undertaking a preliminary assessment".Dutch maritime servicing company Boskalis told the ANP news agency it had been tasked with salvaging the Stena Immaculate and was "fully mobilising".Four ships with firefighting capacity were on their way to the site, a Boskalis spokesperson said, adding the tanker would need to be "cooled down" before the fire could be investigation was being led by US and Portuguese authorities, as the ships were flagged from their countries, housing minister Matthew Pennycook told Times Radio."We're obviously very alive to the potential impact on the environment," he said, but added the Coastguard was well equipped to deal with any oil spills."The good news is... it's not like a crude oil spill," Ivor Vince, founder of ASK Consultants, an environmental risk advisory group, told AFP."Most of it will evaporate quite quickly and what doesn't evaporate will be degraded by microorganisms quite quickly," he added. Humber traffic suspended All vessel movements were "suspended" in the Humber estuary that flows into the North Sea, according to Associated British Ports (ABP), which operates in the Ports of Hull and Immingham in the region. The German Central Command for Maritime Emergencies said it was also dispatching a vessel capable of fire fighting and oil recovery.
Al Etihad
12-03-2025
- General
- Al Etihad
Huge fire after tanker collides with cargo ship in North Sea, 32 injured
10 Mar 2025 17:26 London (AFP)A cargo ship struck a tanker carrying jet fuel on Monday in the North Sea, sparking a massive fire off England and leaving 32 people injured, the tanker's operator and authorities said.A major rescue operation was being coordinated by the UK Coastguard as images showed a huge plume of thick, black smoke and flames rising from the scene about 16 kilometres off the Stena Immaculate was "anchored off the North Sea coast near Hull ... (and) was struck by the container ship Solong," the Stena's US-based operators Crowley said in a impact of the collision "ruptured" the cargo tank "containing A1-jet fuel" triggering a fire, with fuel "reported released".The 32 injured had been brought ashore for treatment in three vessels, the Grimsby port director Martyn Boyers told AFP, adding "ambulances were queueing on the quay" in the northeastern English fishing of the crew on board the tanker owned by Swedish shipowner Stena Bulk were confirmed to be alive, Lena Alvling, a spokesperson for the firm told were reports of "fires on both ships" that UK lifeboat services were responding to, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) confirmed to AFP.A spokesman said the Coastguard was carrying out an assessment of the likely counter pollution response required, while a government body probing marine accidents deployed a team to Grimsby."Our team of inspectors and support staff are gathering evidence and undertaking a preliminary assessment of the accident to determine our next steps," a Marine Accident Investigation Branch spokesperson to environmental campaign group Greenpeace, it was "too early to assess the extent of any environmental damage"."In the case of an oil spill or any loss of hazardous cargo from the container ship involved, the speed of the response will also be crucial in limiting any impact," a Greenpeace spokesperson said. Humber traffic suspended All vessel movements were "suspended" in the Humber estuary which flows into the North Sea, according to the Associated British Ports (ABP).The ABP, which operates in the Ports of Hull and Immingham in the region, added it was "assisting" the Coastguard. The International Maritime Organization told AFP "the current focus is on the firefighting and search and rescue operation".UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was "concerned to hear" about the collision and thanked all the emergency services which rushed to the alarm about the crash near the port city of Hull in East Yorkshire was raised at 0948 GMT.A Coastguard helicopter, a plane, lifeboats from four towns and other nearby vessels were part of the large rescue operation, the Coastguard cargo ship was the Portuguese-flagged "Solong", owned by the German company Reederei 140-metre-long (460 foot) cargo vessel, left Grangemouth in Scotland and was bound for Rotterdam, according to website Vessel Finder. Collisions rare Vessels with firefighting capabilities have been dispatched to the scene off the northeast remain rare in the busy North October 2023, two cargo ships, the Verity and the Polesie, collided near Germany's Heligoland islands in the North Sea. Three people were killed and two others are still missing, considered dead.
Saudi Gazette
12-03-2025
- Saudi Gazette
Cargo ship captain arrested for manslaughter after North Sea collision
LONDON — The captain of the Solong cargo ship who was arrested after crashing into a US-flagged tanker off the English coast is a Russian national, the vessel's owner said Wednesday, as maritime experts search for answers. The Solong careered into the Stena Immaculate while it was at anchor in the North Sea and carrying huge amounts of jet fuel for the US military, setting fire to both vessels and prompting emergency rescue efforts by the British coastguard. British police have since opened a criminal investigation into the crash and arrested a 59-year-old man on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter. A spokesperson for Ernst Russ, which owns the Solong, confirmed to CNN that the arrested man is the ship's captain and that he is a Russian national. The rest of the crew are a mix of Russians and Filipinos, the spokesperson added. Martyn Boyers, chief executive of the nearby Port of Grimsby East, had expressed disbelief that such a crash could have happened, given the sophistication of modern shipping technology.'It seems a mystery, really, because all the vessels now have very highly sophisticated technical equipment to plot courses and to look at any obstacles or anything they've got to avoid,' Boyers told CNN on Monday.'How did that vessel (the Solong) continue plowing into the berth vessel? There must have been some warning signs. They must have been able to detect it on the radar,' he Portuguese-flagged Solong was still burning more than a day on from the crash, while the fire on the Stena Immaculate was put out earlier Tuesday.A missing crew member from the Solong is presumed dead, according to Britain's maritime minister Mike Kane, after a search and rescue operation was called off late cargo ship's other 13 crew members were rescued, along with the full 23-person crew of the Stena Immaculate which, Kane said, was carrying 220,000 barrels of jet Stena Immaculate, which is managed by the United States logistics firm Crowley, is part of a fleet of 10 tankers involved in a US government program to supply its military with fuel. The Department of Defense's 'Tanker Security Program,' according to Crowley, 'ensures a commercial fleet can readily transport liquid fuel supplies in times of need.'Oceanu UK, an environmental group, warned of 'huge' potential damage if jet fuel spills into the sea. The fuel 'can cause a huge amount of damage to wildlife as well as fish populations,' they were also concerned by reports Monday evening that the Solong was carrying large amounts of sodium cyanide. But Ernst Russ later denied the claims, saying that the ship was carrying four empty containers that had previously contained the hazardous chemical. — CNN
CNN
12-03-2025
- CNN
Cargo ship captain arrested in North Sea collision is Russian national, owner says
The captain of the Solong cargo ship who was arrested after crashing into a US-flagged tanker off the English coast is a Russian national, the vessel's owner said Wednesday, as maritime experts search for answers. The Solong careered into the Stena Immaculate while it was at anchor in the North Sea and carrying huge amounts of jet fuel for the US military, setting fire to both vessels and prompting emergency rescue efforts by the British coastguard. British police have since opened a criminal investigation into the crash and arrested a 59-year-old man on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter. A spokesperson for Ernst Russ, which owns the Solong, confirmed to CNN that the arrested man is the ship's captain and that he is a Russian national. The rest of the crew are a mix of Russians and Filipinos, the spokesperson added. Martyn Boyers, chief executive of the nearby Port of Grimsby East, had expressed disbelief that such a crash could have happened, given the sophistication of modern shipping technology. 'It seems a mystery, really, because all the vessels now have very highly sophisticated technical equipment to plot courses and to look at any obstacles or anything they've got to avoid,' Boyers told CNN on Monday. 'How did that vessel (the Solong) continue plowing into the berth vessel? There must have been some warning signs. They must have been able to detect it on the radar,' he said. The Portuguese-flagged Solong was still burning more than a day on from the crash, while the fire on the Stena Immaculate was put out earlier Tuesday. A missing crew member from the Solong is presumed dead, according to Britain's maritime minister Mike Kane, after a search and rescue operation was called off late Monday. The cargo ship's other 13 crew members were rescued, along with the full 23-person crew of the Stena Immaculate which, Kane said, was carrying 220,000 barrels of jet fuel. The Stena Immaculate, which is managed by the United States logistics firm Crowley, is part of a fleet of 10 tankers involved in a US government program to supply its military with fuel. The Department of Defense's 'Tanker Security Program,' according to Crowley, 'ensures a commercial fleet can readily transport liquid fuel supplies in times of need.' Oceanu UK, an environmental group, warned of 'huge' potential damage if jet fuel spills into the sea. The fuel 'can cause a huge amount of damage to wildlife as well as fish populations,' they said. Environmentalists were also concerned by reports Monday evening that the Solong was carrying large amounts of sodium cyanide. But Ernst Russ later denied the claims, saying that the ship was carrying four empty containers that had previously contained the hazardous chemical.
The Independent
12-03-2025
- General
- The Independent
The key unanswered questions over the North Sea oil tanker collision
Major maritime accidents are thankfully very uncommon in British waters, with the collision between a US oil tanker and a Portuguese cargo ship prompting shockwaves across the seafaring industry. An investigation has been launched after MV Solong collided with the MV Stena Immaculate on Monday morning, causing a fireball to erupt on the North Sea and posing an environmental risk to the local wildlife. A sailor is presumed dead and the 59-year-old Russian captain of the container ship has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter. Yet questions remain as to how such a disaster occurred, which sparked a major operation to contain the blazing inferno and rescue all the sailors involved. What caused the collision? Ship-tracking data shows that the Stena Immaculate was practically stationary at the time of the crash, and was drifting at 0.1 knots at 9.48am. Meanwhile, the 140-metre Solong was moving at an average speed of 16 knots as it travelled from Grangemouth in Scotland to Rotterdam. Just minutes later, Marine Traffic shows that the speed had dropped to 3 knots as it is believed to have hit the oil tanker. While the cause of the collision remains unclear, it has been suggested that autopilot could have played a part if nobody had been maintaining a proper lookout. Martyn Boyers, chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East, told Sky News: 'They have a thing called autopilot, and that's what I would suspect has been the issue. If it's been put on autopilot and there's no one on the bridge, which would happen, then it'd just go straight on. 'Autopilot just steers a course, they don't deviate, there's no bend in the sea.' Dr Abdul Khalique, head of the Maritime Centre at Liverpool John Moores University, said: 'It can be assumed that the watchkeepers on MV Solong were not performing their duty to 'maintain a proper lookout by all available means' as required by international regulations for preventing collisions at sea.' A Stena Immaculate sailor told the US network CBS News the Solong didn't immediately stop and drove into their ship for what seemed like 10 minutes. Other crew members said it appeared nobody was on the bridge of the Solong at the moment of the crash, he added. Poor visibility may also have played a role in the collision, with heavy fog across the Humber Estuary on Monday. Who is the missing sailor? Little is known about the sailor who is presumed dead on the MV Solong, with the search called off on Monday evening. Shipping company Ernst Russ confirmed that the other 13 crew members were safe and accounted for, along with all of the Stena Immaculate's 20 crew members. One RNLI crew member told The Times the fog was so thick during the initial search and rescue crews could 'not see a thing'. 'We are not equipped with firefighting equipment for this type of incident,' he said. The captain of the Solong, a 59-year-old Russian national, has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and remains in police custody. What was the cargo ship carrying? Despite previous media reports, the shipping company which owns the Solong has denied that the vessel was carrying sodium cyanide. Ernst Russ said in a statement: 'We are able to confirm that there are no containers onboard ladened with sodium cyanide, as has been misreported. 'There are four empty containers that have previously contained the hazardous chemical, and these containers will continue to be monitored.' It is now expected to stay afloat and can be towed away from the shore ahead of salvage operations. Assistant Chief Coastguard John Craig said on Tuesday evening that salvage companies were now at the scene and developing a plan for both the Solong and the Stena Immaculate oil tanker. Mr Craig said: 'A tow line has now successfully been put in place and a tug is holding Solong offshore in a safer position. There are still some flames visible on the main deck of the Solong and firefighting is focusing on this area. A salvage plan is being developed with the appointed salvors on scene.' What is the scale of the risk to the environment? The East Yorkshire coast is home to a number of colonies of seabirds including puffins and kittiwakes, while there are significant numbers of Atlantic grey seals and porpoises in the area. Toxic oil spills can harm or kill marine wildlife and affect fishing, with concerns raised that the spill of jet fue l could be potentially devastating for the wildlife of the Humber estuary. However, Crowley, the maritime company managing the Stena Immaculate, said it remains unclear how much Jet A1 fuel was released when it was hit by the Solong, but an initial review shows it had evaporated due to exposure to fires on both vessels. Dr Alex Lukyanov, researcher on advanced mathematical models of oil spills from the University of Reading, previously said the incident was 'troubling' because it appeared to involve persistent oil, which breaks up slowly in water, while he also suggested the 'environmental toll could be severe'. Assistant chief coastguard John Craig said: 'A comprehensive counter pollution response is in place and HM Coastguard continues to make preparations for any pollution that may occur as a result of the damage to the vessels. 'The MCA's concern in relation to tanks on the Solong has reduced with tugs now able to work in close vicinity. 'The threat from the previously identified dangerous goods on board has reduced significantly. Air quality sampling onshore has shown no toxins and modelling from the Met Office indicates no threat to the public.' Hugo Tagholm, executive director of Oceana UK, said: 'This tragic event shows once again that spills occur everywhere Big Oil goes, be it drilling the ocean floor or transporting fossil fuels around the world. 'We are now seeing toxic oil pouring from the 183-metre-long tanker into – or very near – a sensitive area designated to protect declining harbour porpoises. 'As these animals are forced to come to the surface to breathe, they risk inhaling poisonous fumes and choking on oil.
