What we know about the North Sea oil tanker collision

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What we know about the North Sea oil tanker collision

Footage shows an oil tanker and a cargo vessel on fire in the North Sea

More than 30 people have been rescued following a collision between an oil tanker and a cargo vessel in the North Sea off the coast of East Yorkshire.

An emergency response has been ongoing since around 10:00 GMT on Monday and one vessel is believed to be leaking fuel into the sea. Here is what we know so far.

What are the ships involved in the incident?

The Stena Immaculate is a US-flagged oil and chemical tanker – which, at the time of the collision, was carrying jet fuel.

Crowley, the company which manages the vessel, confirmed that fuel had been released into the sea, though HM Coastguard said the extent of any pollution was still being assessed.

The Stena Immaculate was on its way to Hull after departing from a Greek port, according to ship tracking site MarineTraffic.

A US official told CBS News, the BBC’s US partner, that the Stena Immaculate tanker was transporting cargo on behalf of the American military.

The US maintains several military facilities in the ***. The official said the collision would not impact combat operations.

The Solong is a Portuguese-flagged container vessel with capacity to carry 9,500 tonnes of cargo.

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It had been making its way south from the Scottish port of Grangemouth to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Photos and videos from the scene showed large clouds of smoke billowing out from the oil tanker, and the company which manages the Stena Immaculate has reported “multiple explosions”.

The Solong was carrying 15 containers of sodium cyanide among its cargo, according to a report from maritime data provider Lloyd’s List Intelligence.

Dr Mark Hartl, associate professor of marine biology at Herriot Watt University, said sodium cyanide is very soluble in water and can be toxic because it interferes with the respiration of animals, but at this point it is not clear if any has entered the water.

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How did the collision unfold?

Data from tracking site MarineTraffic appears to indicate that one ship was moving and the other was nearly stationary when the collision happened.

The Stena Immaculate was drifting at a speed of 0.1 knots at 09:48 GMT.

The Solong approached from the north at a speed of 16 knots.

Crowley said the Stena Immaculate was struck by the Solong while it was anchored.

It said its cargo tank carrying jet fuel was ruptured in the ******, causing a fire and the release of fuel.

However, it is still unclear what caused the cargo ship to strike the oil tanker.

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How many people were on board?

We still do not know precisely how many people were on board, how many were injured or to what extent. No fatalities have been confirmed.

Local MP Graham Stuart said he had been informed that one person was in hospital, but the other 36 mariners across both crews were safe and accounted for, although that has not been confirmed by the authorities.

The chief executive of the Port of Grimsby earlier said that 32 people had been brought ashore.

The firm which operates the Stena Immaculate said its crew of more than 20 had all been brought to safety.

It is not known precisely how many people were on the Solong.

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