Oil Tanker and Cargo Ship Collide, Spark Massive Fire Off U.K. Coast

A container ship collided with an oil tanker off the eastern coast of the United Kingdom at around 9:48 am local time on Monday morning. The crash resulted in a massive fire and gallons of oil being poured into the North Sea, with emergency response efforts underway. According to local officials, one person was hospitalized as a result of the collision, while another 36 people—members of both crews—were taken ashore. All crew members are believed to be accounted for. According to the New York Times, the ships involved in the collision were the Stena Immaculate, an oil tanker that was registered in the United States, and the Solong, a container ship that was sailing under the Portuguese flag. The Solong reportedly left port in Scotland on Sunday and was on its way to Rotterdam in the Netherlands. The Stena Immaculate was anchored at the time of impact, which raises some concerns about the incident—namely, how did the container ship hit a stationary oil tanker in broad daylight? Speaki ... Read full article.