by A dramatic collision in the North Sea has set an oil tanker and a cargo ship on fire, which has a fear of poisonous leaks that could trigger an environmental disaster.
On Monday, the US oil tanker MV Stena Maculate collided with the Portuguese cargo ship MV Solong. The crash began a huge fire that is still burning in the North Sea, about 16 km off the coast of the busy harbor port and the fishing center.
Dozens of people have been saved, but a crew member is not taken into account, according to the British authorities.
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While the Stena Makulation transported the beam A-1 air ride fuel provided for military use, the Solong carried highly toxic sodium cyanide and triggered serious alarms via possible chemical leaks into the sea.
Experts warn that every spill in and around the Humber estuary could have a strong influence, seabirds and fragile ecosystems.
The alarm was triggered for the first time on Monday at 9.48 a.m. at 9.48 a.m. on the Humber estuary in East Yorkershire. A Portuguese freight vessel collided with an American oil tanker, which was regarded as anchor and aviation fuel.
A Mayday call from the HM Coast Guard Bat for help from ships with fire fighting equipment or could help you search and rescue.
The collision took place in the Humber estuary in East Yorkshire with the oil tanker on the anchor.
Martyn Boyers, Managing Director of Grimsby East port, said that after the crash, he was given a “massive fireball”.
It is unclear what has led to the collision, but Dr. Seyedvahid Vakili, a maritime expert at the University of Southampton, says: “In most cases, human factors play an important role.”
“This is particularly relevant for container ships in which high work loads and fatigue can do essential factors.”
In an update late Monday, Crowley, who headed the oil tanker, said that at least one freight tank with A1-jet fuel was broken in the collision.
A spokesman said: “At this stage it is unclear which fuel volume may have been released due to the incident. At the time when it was hit, the 183 m (596 foot) Stena Maculate wore 220,000 barrel of jet bracelets in 16 separate freight tanks.
“Crowley supports the responsible authorities in Great Britain who examine the incident and will move them to further questions about potential causes.”
The freight on board the Solong is even more worrying. The list of maritime secret services, Lloyd’s list, confirmed that it promoted 15 containers with sodium cyanide together with an unknown amount of alcohol.
Sodium cyanide is exceptionally poisonous and generates hydrogen cyanide gas after contact with water and represents grabritis for both human and aquatic life.
“In the past, this chemical was even used intentionally to poison fish. It can quickly kill marine life and disturb local ecosystems if it looks ” The independent.
It remains unclear whether sodium cyanide spilled into the sea. If the chemical has buried itself, this could delay cleaning, say experts.
“In view of the high toxicity of the chemical, special dangerous material teams are required for cleaning up. While minor spills can be tackled within days, larger incidents can take weeks or more before they are fully remedied, ”said Johnston.
“From the point of view of the aquatic environment, jet fuel evaporates faster and is less worrying than crude oil. However, the immediate acute effects on marine organisms will still be serious, ”said Dr. Mark Hartl, Marine ecotoxicologist at Heriot-Watt University.
Professor Tiago Alves from Cardiff University said that the conditions in the North Sea could reduce some effects.
“Jet fuel evaporates easily and burns quickly. The effects can mostly be felt near the scene of the accident, especially in view of today’s windy conditions and dynamic wave energy, the dispersion, ”said Prof. Alves.
Alastair Grant, emeritus professor of ecology at the University of East Anglia, said that Jet fuel contains “up to 25 percent aromatic hydrocarbons that are relatively toxic and slowly reducing in the environment. This makes it about 50 times poisonous for water life than diesel oil and much more harmful than crude oil. “
The situation is still complicated by concerns about heavier bunker fuels used by ships, warn scientists.
“This special incident is worrying because it apparently contains oil that slowly breaks up in water,” said Dr. Alex Lukyanov, researcher at the University of Reading.
“Persistent oils such as marine diesel can suffocate habitats and wild animals and influence their ability to regulate body temperature, which may lead to death.”
The collision occurred almost critically at a sensitive time for wild animals. There are several marine protected areas near Rumpf, such as Flamborough HEA and Halternness. These areas are protected due to their rich habitats that support marine wild animals such as fish, mussels, crabs and birds
“The nest season will soon begin to flamborough,” said Dr. Daniela Schmidt, professor of geosciences at the University of Bristol.
“While the first focus is on the containment of the fire, the pollution associated with the accident can widen widespread depending on the currents and waves with the risk of influencing these protected areas.”
Martin Slater from the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust warned that the pollution for seabirds, gray seals and Cetaceans could be “devastating” near the spill, as many birds gather for the naving time off the coast.
Calum Duncan from the Marine Conservation Society explained that the biggest challenge is now containment. And how far the leak would spread depends on several environmental factors.
“The most important concern of the environment is how far these chemicals and fuels could disperse,” he said.
How far and quickly all of the pollution breaks depend heavily on weather and sea conditions.
“The prediction of the environment of oil pollution is extremely complex. Oil pollution like those in the North Sea are influenced by several factors. The size of the spill, weather conditions, sea currents, water waves, wind patterns and the type of oil play all decisive role in determining the environmental results, ”said Dr. Alex Lukyanov from the University of Reading.
“Persistent oils like Marine Diesel are particularly worrying because they linger, suffocate habitats and wildlife over long periods of time.”
The violent fires that burn on board the ships also publish thick clouds of poisonous black smoke and cause concerns about air quality and the health effects of the coastal communities. In the meantime, every buried freight could wash plastics and debris on land for years, which harms the marine wildlife far into the future.
Scientists examine past incidents, such as the MV Braer from 1993, to spill the Shetland Islands to get insights.
Investigations are now carried out by authorities from the USA and Portugal to determine the cause and the extent of the environmental impact. The complete environmental consequences may not be fully understood for months.
