More updates are being reported after an oil tanker erupted into flames after colliding with a container ship in the North Sea.

UPDATE: (15:35):
As reported by BBC News, Local MP Graham Stuart has confirmed that all 37 crew members on both vessels have been accounted for. Amazingly, after all casualties of the devastating incident were brought ashore, only one person has been hospitalized.

“The other 36 mariners across both crews are safe and accounted for,” Stuart said.

Credit: Mehmet Yaren Bozgun/Anadolu via Getty Images

One major concern is now the “potential ecological impact” the collision will have.

Stuart says he is “calling for a unified command structure, to bring together government, police, Coast Guard, the Environment Agency, local authorities and your MPs”.

The Telegraph reports that the oil tanker’s managing agent – US company Crowley, which operates the vessel in a partnership with Stena Bulk – has confirmed that the tanker is leaking jet fuel after it “was struck by the container ship Solong”.
The collision resulted in “a cargo tank containing Jet-A1 fuel” rupturing.

UPDATE (14:59):
The crew aboard an oil tanker that caught fire in the North Sea have all been confirmed alive, according to the vessel’s Swedish owner.

Lena Alvling, a spokesperson for Stena Bulk, confirmed the news to AFP when asked about the crew’s status.

“Yes, we can confirm that,” she said, cited by The Guardian, as footage from the scene, located about 10 miles (16 km) off the northern coast of England, showed thick black smoke and towering flames billowing from the stricken vessel.

UPDATE (14:25):
The shipping company has confirmed to BBC News that all 20 crew members aboard the tanker Stena Immaculate are safe and accounted for.

Stena Bulk, who jointly owns the ship with their US partner, Crowley, who operates it, added that it was too early to speculate on the cause of the collision in the North Sea.

At least 32 casualties have been brought ashore. Credit: Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images (Stock photo)

Authorities were alerted to the collision at 9:48AM on Monday (March 10) morning, and lifeboats and a coastguard helicopter have since been deployed to the scene.
The vessels involved have been identified as the Stena Immaculate, a U.S.-flagged oil tanker, and the Solong, a Portuguese-flagged container ship.

Per the Seattle Times, Martyn Boyers, chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East, reported that 32 casualties have been brought ashore following the collision.

However, he could not say whether that accounted for the full crews of the vessels involved. He described the incident as a “very unusual and tragic accident,” noting that the region had been blanketed in fog throughout the morning.

“We were put on standby earlier on this morning, around about 11 o’clock, to receive casualties, not knowing in what format, how they were going to arrive,” he said, detailing how the first group of 13 casualties was rescued by an offshore wind farm crew transfer vessel operating nearby.

They were brought into the Port of Grimsby, followed by a pilot vessel that transported another 10 casualties. Shortly after, a second pilot boat arrived with nine more, bringing the total to 32.

“So altogether, 32 casualties were brought through the port, and there was a line of ambulances waiting to take them to Princess Diana hospital, which is what they’re still doing now,” he added.

Yahoo News reports that a search and rescue operation is still underway.

A spokesperson for HM Coastguard confirmed the situation.
“HM Coastguard is currently co-ordinating the emergency response to reports of a collision between a tanker and cargo vessel off the coast of East Yorkshire,” per The Independent.

“A Coastguard Rescue Helicopter from Humberside was called, alongside lifeboats from Skegness, Bridlington, Maplethorpe and Cleethorpes, an HM Coastguard fixed wing aircraft, and nearby vessels with fire-fighting capability,” they continued, adding: “The incident remains ongoing.”

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has also spoken out on social media, writing: “I’m concerned to hear of the collision between two vessels in the North Sea this morning and am liaising with officials and HM Coastguard as the situation develops.

“I want to thank all emergency service workers involved for their continued efforts in responding to the incident,” she concluded.

Authorities continue to assess the situation and coordinate rescue operations in the waters off East Yorkshire.

Meanwhile, accident investigators have arrived in Grimsby to collect evidence as the response to the incident continues.

A spokesperson for the Marine Accident Investigation Branch said: “The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has deployed a team to Grimsby following the collision of the Portuguese registered container ship Solong and the US registered oil tanker Stena Immaculate which collided in the North Sea this morning.

“Our team of inspectors and support staff are gathering evidence and undertaking a preliminary assessment of the accident to determine our next steps,” he added.
According to a BBC report, several sailors have abandoned ship in the wake of the collision. The number of potential injuries remains unknown.

Maritime experts at Navy Lookout took to X (formerly Twitter) to highlight the severity of the situation, posting: “Search & Rescue helicopters attending Oil tanker MV Stena Immaculate on fire after being struck by container ship MV Solong while at anchor off the Humber Estuary this morning.”