Jet fuel and sodium cyanide: How North Sea ship crash could have lethal consequences for wildlife

[The One]

So much is still unclear about this collision between an oil tanker and a container ship in the North Sea. We know it will impact the environment, but how bad depends on at least three things, and it may take a while to really know

The monumental collision between a cargo ship and oil tanker off the East Yorkshire coast on Monday clearly spells bad news for the sea, wildlife and air around it. What we don't know yet is quite how bad it will be.

That depends on a few things - but the clouds of filthy black smoke from the fires still burning on Tuesday are worrying for a start, and these fires have prevented authorities from moving in and assessing the damage.

Firstly, it matters what was on board those two massive vessels and how much has leaked into the water.



The 183m-long tanker was carrying about 220,000 barrels of jet fuel in separate tanks, some of which has poured into the North Sea.

Jet fuel is not as sticky or viscous as heavier types of oil, and it can evaporate or be broken down by natural bacteria.

That means it should not clog the feathers and fur of birds and seals, but is still toxic and can poison fish and other animals

But the other vessel, the Solong cargo ship, was reportedly carrying some alcohol and 15 containers of sodium cyanide.

This toxic chemical can be very dangerous if mixed with water. We do not know yet if it has spilled, but this and the jet fuel have the potential to be disastrous for local wildlife.

Potentially devastating ecological impact

And there is a lot of it around the East Yorkshire coast. It's home to protected areas, major colonies of seabirds like puffins and gannets, and porpoises - as well as grey seals, which are currently rearing newborn pups.

Conservation charities are watching and bracing for what could be nasty.

Martin Slater, from Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said if pollution enters the Humber estuary it could be "devastating" for the wildlife, including important fish stocks and tens of thousands of overwintering and migrating birds who use the mud flats.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said the crash was close to the biggest gannet colony in England and warned a leak could be "lethal" to seabirds.

But a spokesperson for Whitby Wildlife Sanctuary said: "Hopefully, the effect on wildlife will be minimal, but there is an emergency contingency plan in place if lots of oiled birds wash up."

Wildlife authorities have said they will not intervene until all the mariners are accounted for.



Heavy fuel oil is horrible stuff

On top of this, both ships will have been powered by a dirtier, heavier kind of oil - likely marine gas oil or heavy fuel oil, we don't know the details yet.

Heavy fuel oil is horrible stuff.

Cheap, thick and tar-like, it can smother animals and is extremely difficult to clean up. Let's hope this isn't swimming around the North Sea already.

We don't know how much of any of these toxic substances has leaked, or how much will be burned off in the violent fires - which themselves are ploughing black smoke and dirty air pollution into the atmosphere.

Source

[The One]

A sailor has described how he escaped from a stricken tanker shortly after the collision yesterday.

The anonymous crew member of the Stena Immaculate said he was near the impact site when the collision happened.

Out of nowhere, "a massive ship came from out of the blue", he told CBS News.

He said he only had seconds to react after hearing a shout from another crew member to brace.

He added that the Solong, the other vessel involved, didn't immediately stop and that it crashed into the Stena Immaculate for what seemed like 10 minutes.

Which country will investigate?
A spokesperson for the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has said it is "yet to be decided" which country will lead the investigation into the North Sea collision yesterday,

That responsibility usually lies with the vessels "flags" - in this case Portugal (for Solong) and the US (for Stena Immaculate).

The UK is is in talks with those two countries, the spokesperson said, because it has an interest because the crash happened in its waters.

Images show firefighting efforts as ship burns
These images come to Sky News from a tugboat hosing down the vessels involved in the collision, taken yesterday...

[The One]

These images show the stricken Stena Immaculate as water pours out of its sides.

Fire is not clearly visible, but we were told early this morning that the blaze was still raging.

The Sky News helicopter crew who filmed over the tanker earlier this morning say there was no trace of the Solong nearby.

[Emil El Zapato]

These images show the stricken Stena Immaculate as water pours out of its sides.

Fire is not clearly visible, but we were told early this morning that the blaze was still raging.

The Sky News helicopter crew who filmed over the tanker earlier this morning say there was no trace of the Solong nearby.

Jet fuel is seriously nasty stuff..We were always warned to steer clear of any jet fuel spill if one liked living. Scared the hell out of me.

[The One]

The captain of the Solong - the container ship involved in the crash in the North Sea - is a Russian national, the vessel's owners has said.

The rest of the crew were Russian and Filipino nationals, according to shipping company Ernst Russ.

It comes after police said a man had been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with Monday's collision.

Humberside Police said a 59-year-old is in custody to allow enquiries to take place, and officers are talking to those involved to find out what happened.

The force added investigators have started a criminal probe into the cause of the collision between the Stena Immaculate and Solong off the coast of East Yorkshire on Monday, and are working with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

One person remains missing and is presumed dead.

The Stena Immaculate was carrying jet fuel and had been chartered by the US military at the time of the collision.

Ship tracking software showed the Stena Immaculate was stationary as the Solong sailed toward, and into, it on Tuesday morning.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.