Thirty-two casualties brought ashore and vessels ablaze after collision in North Sea

An oil tanker has collided with a cargo ship in the North Sea, the coastguard has said.

Lifeboats and a coastguard helicopter were called to the collision in the Humber Estuary on Monday (March 10) morning.

The incident is believed to have involved a US-flagged tanker called the MV Stena Immaculate.

US logistics firm Crowley, the operator and joint owner of the MV Stena Immaculate, said the tanker was carrying jet fuel.

The vessel was hit by the Solong in the North Sea at approximately 10am today.

In a statement, the Florida-based company said: “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.”

There are fears the jet fuel is now spilling into the sea, BBC News reports, and that the fuel was owned by the US military.

A spokesperson said: “The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has deployed a team to Grimsby following the collision of the Portuguese-registered container ship Solong and the US-registered oil tanker Stena Immaculate which collided in the North Sea this morning.

“Our team of inspectors and support staff are gathering evidence and undertaking a preliminary assessment of the accident to determine our next steps.”

All crew confirmed alive on burning North Sea tanker, says shipowner
All of the crew on board a burning oil tanker in the North Sea are confirmed alive, the Swedish shipowner said after a collision with a cargo ship on Monday.

“Yes we can confirm that,” Lena Alvling, a spokesperson for the Swedish shipowner Stena Bulk, told AFP when asked whether the crew were all alive, as TV images showed a huge plume of thick, black smoke and flames rising from the scene about 10 miles (16 km) off the coast of northern England.