London [UK], March 11: The crew of an oil tanker are "safe and accounted for" after jet fuel was released during a crash with a cargo ship in the North Sea off Britain, a maritime company has said.
Crowley, which manages the Stena Immaculate, said there were "multiple explosions onboard" when the vessel suffered a ruptured cargo tank.
More than 30 casualties have been brought ashore so far after the collision off the coast of East Yorkshire on Monday.
Graham Stuart, a lawmaker for the area where the casualties were brought, said he understood that only one person was in hospital. Footage from the scene shows clouds of black smoke billowing into the air.
The statement from Crowley read: "The Stena Immaculate sustained a ruptured cargo tank containing Jet-A1 fuel due to the allision. A fire occurred as a result of the allision, and fuel was reported released.
"The Stena Immaculate crew abandoned the vessel following multiple explosions onboard. All Crowley mariners are safe and fully accounted for." Lifeboats and a coastguard helicopter were called to the collision in the Humber Estuary involving US-flagged tanker Stena Immaculate and Portuguese-registered container ship Solong.
The American tanker was at anchor, according to ship tracking tool Vesselfinder.
UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: "I'm concerned to hear of the collision between two vessels in the North Sea this morning and am liaising with officials and HM Coastguard as the situation develops.
"I want to thank all emergency service workers involved for their continued efforts in responding to the incident." A spokeswoman for the Marine Accident Investigation Branch said it has deployed investigators to Grimsby.
It was too early to assess the extent of any environmental damage, a spokesperson with environmental group Greenpeace said.
"The magnitude of any impact will depend on a number of factors, including the amount and type of oil carried by the tanker, the fuel carried by both ships, and how much of that, if any, has entered the water," the Greenpeace spokesperson said.
The area where the collision took p lace has traffic running from the ports along Britain's northeast coast to the Netherlands and Germany.
The International Maritime Organisation, the United Nations shipping agency, said it was aware of the situation and was checking further.
Source: Qatar Tribune
