Oil tanker involved in North Sea collision was carrying jet fuel for US military
A US military spokesperson confirmed that the oil tanker was on a "short-term US military charter with the Military Sealift Command".
The oil tanker which collided with a cargo ship in the North Sea off the coast of England on Monday, was carrying jet fuel for the US military, the American logistics group Crowley operating the vessel confirmed.
In a post on X, Crowley said that the Stena Immaculate tanker was carrying Jet-A1 fuel when it was struck by the Portugese-flagged cargo ship Solong while anchored near Hull.
A US military spokesperson, Jilian Morris, also confirmed that the Stena Immaculate was on a short-term US military charter with the Military Sealift Command, an AFP report said.
The command reportedly operates civilian-crewed ships that provide ocean transport for the US Defense department.
ALSO READ | Oil tanker, cargo ship collision triggers huge blaze in North Sea, 32 injured
The collision of the tanker and Solong cargo ship set off massive blaze and multiple explosions, forcing both the crews to abandon ship.
Notably, two maritime security sources, as cited by news agency Reuters, said that there was no indication of any suspicious activity or involvement of other elements in the incident.
Local officials placed the number of injuries at 32, saying that they were taken to the hospital by ambulances. But by mid afternoon, only one remained at the medical facility. Rest all are safe and accounted for.
Additionally, the US logistics group Crowley also said that emergency teams sent a helicopter, fixed-wing aircraft, lifeboats and nearby vessels with firefighting capacity to the incident spot.
"A fire occurred as a result of the allision and fuel was reported released," Crowley said. An allision is a collision of two vessels, wherein one of them is stationary.
Concerns over environmental damage
The collision and the subsequent damage has raised concerns of environmental issues now.
Director of operations at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Martin Slater said that East Yorkshire coast was home to protected and significant colonies of seabirds including puffins and gannets, with many of them living offshore ahead of the nesting season.
Meanwhile, a Greenpeace spokesperson 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. Sea and weather conditions will also be important in determining how any spill behaves."
However, an insurance specialist, cited by Reuters, said that the pollution risk was less than if it were a crude carrier. "A lot depends really on cargo carried, how many tanks were breached and how bad the fire is," the sources reportedly said.
Mark Sephton, professor of Organic Geochemistry at Imperial College London, also said that the relatively small hydrocarbons of jet fuel could be degraded by bacteria more quickly than the larger molecules. "The fact that we are moving into warmer temperatures will also speed up the biodegradation rates," he added.
According to a Maritime analytics website MarineTraffic said that the 600 ft-long Stena Immaculate was anchored off Immingham, northeast England, when it was struck by the 460 ft-long Solong, which was headed towards Rotterdam.
Ship insurer Skuld of Norway confirmed that the Solong cargo ship was covered for insurance with it for protection and indemnity, a segment of insurance that takes care of environmental damage and crew injuries or fatalities.
