An oil tanker erupted into flames after colliding with a container ship in the North Sea.
The vessels involved have been identified as the Stena Immaculate, a U.S.-flagged oil tanker, and the Solong, a Portuguese-flagged container ship.
Authorities were alerted to the collision at 9:48AM on Monday (March 10) morning, and lifeboats and a coastguard helicopter have since been deployed to the scene.
A spokesperson for HM Coastguard confirmed the situation.
“HM Coastguard is currently co-ordinating the emergency response to reports of a collision between a tanker and cargo vessel off the coast of East Yorkshire,” per The Independent.
“A Coastguard Rescue Helicopter from Humberside was called, alongside lifeboats from Skegness, Bridlington, Maplethorpe and Cleethorpes, an HM Coastguard fixed wing aircraft, and nearby vessels with fire-fighting capability,” they continued, adding: “The incident remains ongoing.”
Authorities continue to assess the situation and coordinate rescue operations in the waters off East Yorkshire.
According to a BBC report, several sailors have abandoned ship in the wake of the collision. The number of potential injuries remains unknown.
Maritime experts at Navy Lookout took to X (formerly Twitter) to highlight the severity of the situation, posting: “Search & Rescue helicopters attending Oil tanker MV Stena Immaculate on fire after being struck by container ship MV Solong while at anchor off the Humber Estuary this morning.”
This is a breaking news story. More details to follow.
