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A fixed tanker carrying jet fuel for the US military was struck by a North Sea vessel on Monday, causing an explosion and rescue operation for 37 Mariners on board the vessel.
The collision caused a major fire on both ships shortly before 10am local time. Tanker Stena Immaculate carried 18,000 tonnes of Jet A-1 in the form of aviation fuel, which burst into cargo tanks.
British maritime and coast guards said they sent rescue helicopters, lifeboats and firefighters to the scene, assessing “possibility of a necessary oppositional response.”
It was not immediately clear what caused the incident. Maritime safety has improved significantly over the last few decades, as both navigational tools and vessels' ability to withstand collisions has been improved.
Stena Immaculate was in the short-term charter of the US Navy's military Sealift headquarters at the time of the collision, the order said.
The Charter represented the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) energy, which procured and distributed petroleum products and services throughout the defense supply chain.
Since May 2023, Immaculate has been one of the 10 tankers in the US strategic tanker program, which has been flying the US flag and served as crew by US citizens, ready to power the US military's fuel.
The DLA said Monday evening: [on the nearby Humber estuary]. She was then scheduled to reload for delivery to other points in the Mediterranean. Stena Immaculate. . . It carried military-spec jet fuel and marine diesel. ”
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Tracking information from the vessel's traffic information site, marine traffic, suggests that the vessel ship Solon ploughed into the merciless stena while the tanker was at the anchor.
Graham Stuart, MP for Beverly and Holderness, an inland area from the collision, said he understood that one person was in the hospital and that a total of 37 Mariners were involved.
Germany-based Ernst Russ, owner of Solon's shipping company, said a search for the missing crew was ongoing Monday evening after the collision left “severe damage.” The other 13 crew members were “safely transported onto land,” the company said.
HM Coast Guard Matthew Atkinson said late Friday evening: One member of Solong's crew remains unissued. After a massive search for the missing crew, sadly they were not found, but the search ended.
“Two vessels are on fire, and Coast Guard aircraft are monitoring the situation. Assessment of required counter pollution responses is being carried out by maritime and coast guard agencies.
Stena Immaculate is managed by Crowley, a Florida-based marine logistics company. The registered owner is Stena Bulk Marine Services, based in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Crawley “maintained a ruptured cargo tank containing Jet A1 fuel” after being “attacked by Containership Solon,” Crawley said, “fuel was released.”
“Stena's Immaculate Crew abandoned the container after multiple explosions on board. All Crawley Mariners are safe and fully explained,” the company said.
According to marine transport, Stena Immaculate carried 18,000 tonnes of Jet A-1 from a Greek refinery.
The vessel's cargo contained sodium cyanide, a potentially highly dangerous chemical, according to a report by Lloyd's List Intelligence, a maritime information service.
In a statement, the Department of Transport said it is working closely with the Coast Guard to help respond to the incident. “We are grateful to all paramedics for our continued efforts,” it said.
