A tanker and a freight ship have collided in the North Sea, off the coast of Britain, according to the BBC. The affected area is the Humber estuary, a major port mouth in the UK, located on the east coast of England.
The tanker is reportedly on fire. Rescue boats and firefighting teams are on the scene near the coast of East Yorkshire. The distress call is said to have been received at 9:48 am and the Coast Guard’s chief has been quoted as saying, “The British Coast Guard is currently coordinating emergency response efforts following a report of a collision between a tanker and a freight ship off the coast of East Yorkshire. The alarm was raised at 9:48 am. A Coast Guard helicopter from Humberside was called out, as well as lifeboats from Skegness, Bridlington, Mappelthorpe and Cleethorpes, a fixed-wing aircraft of the HM Coastguard and nearby ships with firefighting capabilities.”
The tanker involved in the collision is reportedly on fire, according to two sources “with knowledge of the incident” speaking to the BBC. The weather service reported that the visibility in the Humber region in the morning was “very poor, with wind gusts of 25 mph amidst foggy conditions.”
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has stated that several people had to leave the ships after the collision and reports of fires on the other involved vessel have also been made. The Telegraph cites marine experts of the Navy Lookout, who said the tanker was at anchor before the collision.
The BBC, based on marine data, believes the tanker to be the US-flagged “Stena Immaculate” and the other involved ship to be the Portuguese-flagged container ship “Solong” according to tracking data.
In a new statement from the Coast Guard, the reported fire on the Stena Immaculate is not mentioned, but it is “suspected that an oil spill has occurred.” According to the BBC, 32 people have been brought ashore from the two ships so far after the collision.