North Sea collision – latest: Cargo ship captain arrested for manslaughter as fears grow for marine life – UK Times

The Humber ports of Grimsby, Immingham, Hull and Goole re-opened yesterday evening, according to the their owner Associated British Ports (ABP).

Restrictions remain in place while the ABP “continues to support ongoing emergency operations,” it said.

The full extent of a fuel leak following the North Sea tanker collision remains uncertain but Crowley, the company managing the Stena Immaculate oil tanker, says the initial impact appears to be minimal.

“It remains unclear at this time what volume of fuel may have been released as a result of the incident, but initial review shows impacts have been limited due to exposure to the fire and evaporation of the Jet A1 fuel,” the company said.

Owners of the Solong container ship confirmed its captain had been arrested, hours after Humberside Police said it had arrested a 59-year-old man on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter following the collision between the Portuguese vessel and US tanker Stena Immaculate.

One crew member from the Solong is still missing and presumed dead, after a search and rescue operation was ended on Monday evening.

Daniela Schmidt, professor of earth sciences at the University of Bristol, said: “There are several Marine protected areas near Hull such as Flamborough Head and Holderness.

“These areas are protected due to their rich habitats supporting marine wildlife including fish, bivalves, crabs and birds. Around Flamborough the nesting season will soon start.

“While the first focus is on containing the fire, the pollution connected to the accident has the potential to spread widely depending on the currents and waves with the risk of impacting these protected areas.

“Natural England and North Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority will be monitoring the distribution of the oil film closely but at the moment it is to early to determine the impacts.”

Hugo Tagholm, executive director of Oceana UK, said: “This incident is a shocking reminder of the ferocious polluting power of oil.

“We are seeing burning slicks, the threat of heavy fuel oil, and toxic chemicals leaking in or near not one but two marine protected areas (MPAs). Places that should be safe havens for wildlife.”

Mr Tagholm said the Southern North Sea and Holderness MPAs protect declining harbour porpoises and rich seafloor habitats, which are both highly sensitive to toxic spills.

“Oil is always an accident waiting to happen in our ocean and we are all familiar with its devastating impacts – seabirds slick with oil, marine life struggling in tarry tidelines, and a toxic legacy that can impact wildlife and coastal communities for years. More oil will always result in more spills,” he added.

“It is also deeply concerning that the cargo vessel is reportedly carrying sodium cyanide, a severely toxic chemical that can devastate marine wildlife if in high enough concentrations. For now, we don’t know how much, if any, reached the water but we have sent an Oceana team to the North East to monitor developments.”

Harj Narulla, a climate and environmental barrister at Doughty Street Chambers, said: “Under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, the UK Government is likely to meet many of the immediate clean-up and emergency response costs. The vessel owners and their insurers may also meet costs.

“The Government may in due course seek to recover their cleanup costs from the owners and insurers of both vessels.

“If other parties suffer loss — such as local fishing companies, local government or tourism operators — they could also commence claims against the vessel owners and insurers. “

Harj Narulla, a climate and environmental lawyer, explained: “While we still do not know all the facts, it appears as though the Solong collided with the Stena Immaculate, which was at anchor.

“Despite this, the Stena Immaculate and its insurers are strictly liable under UK law for any oil pollution coming from its cargo.

“Similarly, both the Solong and Stena Immaculate and their insurers would be liable for any pollution coming from bunker oil released from the vessels.

“If investigations show that the Solong is responsible for the collision, we may see the Stena Immaculate pursuing legal action against the Solong’s owners and their insurers.

“This is likely to be in UK courts, but could also occur in the US or Portugal as the flag States for each vessel.”

There are fears for hundreds of thousands of seabirds on the East Yorkshire coast following an explosive collision between an oil tanker and a cargo ship.

Bempton Cliffs, near Bridlington in East Yorkshire, sees around 500,000 seabirds gather there between March and August to breed on the towering white cliffs that overlook the North Sea.

The Independent visited the wildlife site, home to puffins, gannets, kittiwakes and guillemots on Tuesday (11 March), just a day after the collision.

Visitor experience manager Danielle Jackson said: “We are highly concerned about the impact the collision will have on our seabird population here and what this could mean for their futures.

“We don’t know exactly how long it’s going to take for the birds and the wildlife and the nature to recover from this kind of incident.”

Dr Tom Webb, senior lecturer in marine ecology and conservation at the University of Sheffield, said: “The wildlife of the Yorkshire coast and Humber Estuary is of immense biological, cultural and economic importance. In addition to the wealth of marine life that is present all year round, this time of the year is crucial for many migratory species.

“Chemical pollution resulting from incidents of this kind can directly impact birds, and it can also have long-lasting effects on the marine food webs that support them.”

Dr Alex Lukyanov, researcher on advanced mathematical models of oil spills from the University of Reading, said: “Oil spills like the one in the North Sea are affected by multiple factors. The size of the spill, weather conditions, sea currents, water waves, wind patterns, and the type of oil involved all play crucial roles in determining environmental outcomes.

“This particular incident is troubling because it appears to involve persistent oil, which breaks up slowly in water.”