New Delhi:
On Monday, March 10 in the North Sea, an oil tanker carrying jet fuel and a highly poisonous chemical collided in a cargo ship. The accident was so dangerous that the flames and smoke bubbles were seen several kilometers away. Even until the report was written, the flames of the fire could not be controlled. The jet fuel tanker which has come in the case of this incident on the coast of Britain is actually from the US Army.
More than 30 people were injured in this. According to the BBC report, HM Coastguard said that a member of the crew is still missing.
Let us understand that according to the information that has come so far, how did this accident happen? Was it just a human mistake? Do such accidents happen in the North Sea?
America’s tanker was standing and from there ……
Let’s start from the beginning. The oil tanker is named Stena Imaculate which is registered in the US. The tanker was transporting jet fuel for the US Army. The cargo ship that hit in this tanker is of Portuguese, named Solong.
According to MarineTraphic, the tanker Stena Imaculate came from the Egioi Theodoroi port of Greek and had anchored near Humber Muhana (Estuari). At the same time, Solong ship had left from Granjmouth port in Scotland to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
Now we understand how this collision happened?
According to the AFP report, American shipping firm Crool Maritime, which witnessed the management of the tanker, has reported that the tanker Stena Imaculate was in anchor about 16 km from the Halp port of Eastern England. It was hit by “container ship Solong hit” and alarm 0948 GMT (in India at 3.18 pm on Monday afternoon).
At the same time, a statement by the German -based owner of Solong ship, Arnust Ras, said that 13 of the 14 crew members of Solong have been brought to the shore and efforts to locate the missing crew member are “continuing”.
What human mistake?
Marine Accident Inverse Branch said that the investigation team has started collecting evidence. Bules are being added to determine their next steps. According to the AFP report, David McFarlen of the Maritime Risk and Safety Consultancy said that 200 to 300 ships collide every year worldwide, but most of the ports have a “minor collision”.
Do such accidents happen?
Although there are busy shipping lanes in the North Sea, accidents here are relatively low.
- In October 2023, two cargo ships, Verity and Polesi, collided near the island of Heligoland, Germany. Three people were killed and two others were reported missing in the accident.
- On 6 October 2015, the cargo flinters carrying 125 tonnes of diesel and 427 tonnes of fuel oil drowned after hitting the tanker Al Orack, eight kilometers (five mi) from the Belgian coast.
- A major oil leakage occurred in the North Sea in January 1993 when the engine of Liberia’s tanker Breyer was damaged while going from Norway to Canada. It was surrounded by the Shetland Islands in Scotland and leaked 84,500 tonnes of crude oil (crude oil).
What is the danger from the accident?
The boiling point of jet fuel (ie the temperature at which it boiled and steam) is more. Because of this, it will slowly fly as steam. It is also relatively toxic, so marine life that comes in contact with it can lead to death.
According to the BBC and AFP reports, it is not clear whether a sodium cyanide from the Soolong ship is leaked in the sea.
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