Cargo ship oil tanker collision: What is the damage in the North Sea? How toxic is sodium cyanide?

Fires aboard a cargo ship and a tanker that collided in the North Sea are “still raging”, as the first images of the wreckage have started to emerge.

Aerial video has shown the extent of the damage after the Solong container ship collided with the Stena Immaculate tanker on Monday morning.

Officials said the tanker sustained a ruptured cargo tank after it was struck, causing “multiple explosions” and jet fuel to be released into the water.

Here is everything we know to date about the extent of the damage and the environment pollution caused as a result.

An aerial view of Stena Immaculate | Danny Lawson/PA Wire

When and where the collision occur?

The incident took place just off the coast of East Yorkshire on Monday morning, about 13 miles from the coast. Both ships caught fire after the crash about 10am

Why did the collision occur?

The exact reason for the collision remains unknown.

The tanker was operating as part of the US government’s Tanker Security Programme, a group of commercial vessels that can be contracted to carry fuel for the military when needed.

It had been anchored while it waited for a berth to become available at the Port of Killingholme, on the River Humber, the maritime company managing the Stena Immaculate, Crowley, said.

Tug boats shadow the Solong container ship | PA

Ship tracking website Vesselfinder shows the tanker had departed from a port in the Peloponnese region of Greece and was heading towards Hull, while the Solong was sailing to Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The US and Portugal will lead investigations into the incident.

One sailor who was on board the Stena Immaculate has told the BBC the cargo vessel "came out of the blue".

The sailor said he heard shouts to brace before the impact as he claimed the Solong did not immediately stop. The vessel drove into their ship for what seemed like ten minutes, the sailor said.

What is the extent of the damage?

The Stena Immaculate was struck by the Solong while anchored off the coast of Hull, Crowley said, causing “multiple explosions” on board and Jet A-1 fuel it was carrying to be released.

Crowley said it was unclear how much fuel may have been released, but that Stena Immaculate was carrying 220,000 barrels of jet fuel in 16 segregated cargo tanks when it was struck.

At least one tank “was ruptured”, according to the company.

PA

Footage that has emerged from the scene shows a massive gouge in the side of the Stena Immaculate. The extent of damage to the Solong is less clear.

Coastguard aircraft were monitoring the site of the incident off the East Yorkshire coast.

Is anyone injured?

Thirty-six people have been brought ashore after the collision off the East Yorkshire coast. The owner of the Solong cargo ship said one of the 14 crew members was missing and unaccounted for. HM Coastguard said the search had been called off after "an extensive" hunt.

It is understood the crew immediately began firefighting efforts when the crash happened but were forced to abandon the vessel because of multiple explosions. However, no other injuries have been reported.

What is the extent of any pollution? How toxic is sodium cyanide?

Reports have suggested the Solong was carrying sodium cyanide at the time of the collision. The substance can produce harmful gas when combined with water, but it was unclear if there had been any leak.

Melanie Onn, Labour MP for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme it would be “very worrying” if the Solong was carrying sodium cyanide.

Sodium cyanide is used commercially for fumigation, electroplating, extracting gold and silver from ores, and chemical manufacturing.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention based in the US, sodium cyanide releases hydrogen cyanide gas, a highly toxic chemical asphyxiant that interferes with the body’s ability to use oxygen. Exposure to sodium cyanide can be rapidly fatal.

Regardless of the sodium cyanide risk, environmental charities are on standby to treat any injured birds and animals that wash onshore.

There are fears any oil or toxic chemical spill from the collision could represent a huge threat to wildlife, although the extent of the pollution is not yet known.

Ms Onn said the Marine Accident Investigation Branch was on site providing direct reports back to the minister. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is doing an evaluation of the contamination risk and working with the owners of both of the vessels to plan a salvage operation, she said.

Dr Leslie Mabon, senior lecturer in environmental systems at The Open University, said establishing facts on what both ships were carrying was “going to be crucial to get a clearer picture of the environmental and economic effects of this disaster”.

The academic, who previously worked at the Scottish Association for Marine Science-University of the Highlands and Islands, said: “It's close to nesting season, so puffins, gannets, Kitty wakes among others could be flying around the area and could be exposed to oil or petrol. Similarly, there are dolphins and seals.

“This is also a rich fishing environment with the Grimsby fishing port nearby, and there could be economic consequences if fishing has to be stopped or scaled back.

“But the things that perhaps have the potential to be the most profound and long-lasting effects are the things that we can't necessarily measure or count. Historical events such as the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and even the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident all show us that seeing seascapes and landscapes that matter to us, being polluted or not being able to go and do the things that really matter to us and give us a sense of who we are, like fishing, are the things that can stick with us for years or decades and have a profound impact.

“So as fuller details of what exactly has happened over the coming days and weeks unfold, it's going to be vital to remember these less tangible, but very profound effects that an incident like this can have on the coasts and the people that live and work there.”

What have environmental groups said about the collision?

Hugo Tagholm, executive director of charity 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.

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.”

Local wildlife trusts have warned of potentially “devastating” impacts of pollution on habitats and species in the area, including threatened seabird colonies, grey seals, harbour porpoises, fish, and minke whales.

Nature-rich sites such as the Humber Estuary, where conservationists have been restoring seagrass and oysters, and Flamborough Cliffs could be hit, they warned.

Martin Slater, director of operations at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust said East Yorkshire’s coast was home to significant colonies of seabirds including puffins, razorbills, gannets and kittiwakes, which were gathering offshore ahead of the nesting season, as well as wintering waders and migrant birds.

“We’re very worried indeed about the threat to these birds,” he added.

He went on: “If pollution spillage enters the Humber, this could potentially be devastating for the wildlife of the estuary, including important fish stocks and tens of thousands of overwintering and migrating birds who use the mud flats.”

There are also concerns about the Silver Pit Marine Conservation Zone further offshore from Lincolnshire’s coast, which is “a unique habitat for fish where seabirds and cetaceans feed”.

What have politicians said about the collision?

UK government minister Matthew Pennycook said Coastguard aircraft were monitoring the site of the incident off the East Yorkshire coast.

Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael said the shipping collision must be “a spur for stronger regulation” against unsafe behaviour by tankers.

He said: “What we are seeing off the north-east coast of England is a graphic reminder – if it were needed – of what can go wrong when shipping vessels collide. We do not yet know exactly what has caused this collision, but the consequences are already plain to see.

“It should be a reminder in particular of the serious risks being taken by tankers anchoring near to the Northern Isles in zones, which are supposed to be understood as ‘Areas to be Avoided’. Our history is already marred by destructive examples of ships going to ground, so we know more than most about the harm that can come from these events. It is a danger to human, animal and plant life alike.

“What has happened off the English coast with the Stena Immaculate and the Solong could very easily happen in our waters if the authorities do not take this as a spur for stronger regulation and to be stricter with vessels acting outside of the limits. We cannot afford another Braer in our waters.”