North Sea collision could be ‘devastating’ to already battered area, experts say

The North Sea collision between an oil tanker and a container ship could have a “devastating” impact on a marine environment already facing multiple pressures – and hit by other wildlife disasters in recent years.

Overfishing, the offshore oil industry and more recently the offshore wind sector have turned the North Sea into a “battered industrial landscape” – and the latest incident could prove to be a setback after some signs of recovery in recent years, experts warned.

The Stena Immaculate tanker suffered a ruptured cargo tank when it was struck by the Solong container ship at approximately 10am on Monday, causing “multiple explosions” and fires, with jet fuel released into the water.

Solong owner Ernst Russ said the ship has “no containers on board ladened with sodium cyanide”, after reports circulated that the ship was transporting the chemical, prompting further fears over the incident’s environmental damage.

Nature-rich sites such as Flamborough Cliffs and the Humber Estuary – where conservationists have been restoring seagrass and oysters – could be hit, campaigners warned.

Martin Slater, director of operations at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said East Yorkshire’s coast was home to significant colonies of seabirds including puffins, razorbills, gannets and kittiwakes, which were gathering offshore ahead of the nesting season, as well as wintering waders and migrant birds.

“We’re very worried indeed about the threat to these birds,” he said.

“If pollution spillage enters the Humber, this could potentially be devasting for the wildlife of the estuary, including important fish stocks and tens of thousands of overwintering and migrating birds who use the mud flats.”

It is not the first time in recent years there have been major incidents harming the region’s wildlife, with a mass die-off of crustaceans on the coastline from Hartlepool to Whitby between October and December 2021, which saw dying marine creatures washed ashore, “twitching” and displaying lethargic behaviour.

The incident sparked a major debate over the cause, with official investigations initially pointing the finger at a natural algae bloom, before independent research suggested a toxin was to blame.

However, the panel was “unable to identify a clear and convincing single cause for the unusual crustacean mortality”.

More recently, sea bird colonies along the North Sea such as the National Trust’s Farne Islands, home to important populations of threatened puffins and other species, were hit by devastating outbreaks of bird flu in 2022 and 2023.

And efforts to close UK waters to fishing of sand eels – a key food source for seabirds such as puffins but also targeted for oil and animal feed – have been challenged by the EU.

He added that it was not clear whether the current disaster would have an effect beyond the local area.

Mr Clover also said the region had been affected by overfishing, depleting what used to be “the richest sea on Earth”.

“Its heart, the Dogger Bank, was ruthlessly overfished but now is a marine protected area, so there are some signs of hope.”

But he added there were a “staggering” number of wind turbines going into the North Sea, following on from the much dirtier offshore oil industry, which also potentially affect wildlife such as seabirds and habitats including the seabed.