A U.S.-based oil tanker loaded with jet fuel was burning off the eastern coast of Great Britain after being hit by a container ship early Monday.
The U.S-flagged tanker Stena Immaculate, operating under the USDOT’s Transportation Security Program, was at anchor when it was struck by the Solong, a 500-TEU feeder container ship registered in Portugal, at 9:48 a.m. local time in the North Sea off East Yorkshire, according to British media.
Thick, black smoke could be seen for miles as emergency crews worked on the scene. There were no immediate reports of casualties after both crews abandoned their ships. About 30 individuals had been rescued at the scene, according to media reports.
The 600-foot Stena Immaculate, operated by Crowley-Stena Marine Solutions and built in 2017, had left the Greek port of Agio Theodori on Feb. 27.
The ship is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Tanker Security Program, one of nine such privately owned product tankers supporting American defense and military requirements. The program was established in 2023.
Built in 2005, the 460-foot Solong was headed for the Port of Rotterdam after departing Grangemouth, England, on Sunday. It is operated by Reederei Köpping GmbH & Co. of Germany.
Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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