Ships collide, catch fire off coast eastern England; crews rescued
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Representational (Ai generated).
London: A cargo ship hit a tanker carrying jet fuel off the coast of eastern England Monday, setting both vessels on fire and triggering a major rescue operation, the Associated Press reported, citing emergency services.
Local lawmaker Graham Stuart said he had been told by the transport secretary that 37 crew members were aboard the two ships, and one was hospitalised.
“The other 36 mariners across both crews are safe and accounted for," he said.
The US-flagged chemical and oil products tanker MV Stena Immaculate was at anchor near the port of Grimsby Monday morning after sailing from Greece, according to ship-tracking site VesselFinder. The cargo vessel, Portugal-flagged container ship Solong, was sailing from Grangemouth in Scotland to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
US-based maritime management firm Crowley, which operates the Stena Immaculate, said the tanker “sustained a ruptured cargo tank containing Jet-A1 fuel” when the container ship struck it, triggering a fire and “multiple explosions onboard,” with fuel released into the sea.
It said all 23 of the mariners on the tanker were safe and accounted for.
The Stena Immaculate is part of the US government's Tanker Security Program, a group of commercial vessels that can be contracted to carry fuel for the military when needed.