In the wake of a North Sea collision, the oil tanker Stena Immaculate, registered in the United States, is set to be towed to the Port of Great Yarmouth. The tanker was anchored 26 kilometres off the East Yorkshire coast when it was hit by the Portuguese vessel Solong last month, leading to an explosion. A Filipino crew member of the Solong is still missing and feared dead, while the Russian captain has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter. The tanker’s jet fuel cargo has been transferred to another vessel, and preparations are underway to tow the Stena Immaculate to Great Yarmouth later this week.
The collision led to the release of numerous tiny plastic pellets, or ‘nurdles’, from ruptured containers on the Solong. These have since washed up on the coasts of Lincolnshire and Norfolk. Nurdles, while not toxic, pose a risk to wildlife if ingested. Conservation efforts have moved from proactive to reactive, with 11 tonnes of these pellets already cleared from Lincolnshire beaches. The National Trust has expressed deep concern about the long-term impact of this plastic pollution on the Norfolk coast and its wildlife and will continue to monitor the situation closely.
This story was adapted by The Lincoln Post from original reporting by www.bbc.com.
