London: British officials were concerned about possible environmental damage on Tuesday and looking for answers a day after a cargo ship carrying a toxic chemical hit a tanker transporting jet fuel for the US military off eastern England, setting both vessels ablaze.
Jet fuel from a ruptured tank poured into the North Sea after the Portugal-registered container ship Solong broadsided the US-flagged tanker MV Stena Immaculate on Monday.
The collision sparked explosions and fires that burned for 24 hours. Footage filmed from a helicopter on Tuesday morning showed the fire appeared to be out on the tanker, which had a large gash on its port side.
British government minister Matthew Pennycook said it was a “fast-moving and dynamic situation”.
He said air quality readings were normal and the coast guards “are well-equipped to contain and disperse any oil spills”, with equipment including booms deployed from vessels to stop oil spreading, and aircraft that can spray dispersants on a spill.
The collision riggered a major rescue operation by lifeboats, coast guard aircraft and commercial vessels in the foggy North Sea. UK Marine accident investigators have begun gathering evidence of what caused the Solong, bound from Grangemouth in Scotland to Rotterdam in the Netherlands, to hit the stationary tanker, which was anchored some 16 km off the English coast.