Plastic pellets found on shore following collision between ships in North Sea

Plastic pellets which can be a risk to wildlife have washed up on shore following the collision between a tanker and a container ship in the North Sea, the coastguard has said.

Conservationists said they were “deeply concerned” after the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said it was informed by the RNLI on Sunday of a “sheen” in the sea just off The Wash, which has turned out to be “nurdles” – small pellets of plastic resin used in plastics production.

The agency said the pellets are likely to have entered the water at the point of the collision between the Stena Immaculate tanker and the container ship Solong, off the coast of East Yorkshire last Monday.

The nurdles, which are between 1-5mm in size and weigh less than a gram, are not toxic but they can present a risk to wildlife if ingested, the MCA said.

Mr O’Callaghan said: “Yesterday, the RNLI advised the MCA of a sighting in waters just off the Wash of a sheen that we now know to be plastic nurdles.

“This was confirmed by aerial surveillance flights and other assets have subsequently been deployed.

“Some nurdles have now also been identified on the shore.

“Retrieval has started today.

“This is a developing situation and the Transport Secretary continues to be updated regularly.”

“These tiny plastic pellets, used in manufacturing countless plastic products, pose a significant threat to marine life.

“Fish and seabirds could mistake them for food, leading to starvation and serious health issues.

“We need to see governments take stronger action to prevent nurdle spills at every stage of the supply chain, including during transportation, to protect our seas and wildlife.”

Tammy Smalley, head of conservation at Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, said the charity was very concerned about nurdles and burnt material adrift in the sea and being washed ashore in the Wash and on the Norfolk and Lincolnshire coast.

She said seabirds can die from choking or starvation after eating nurdles and there is also a risk that they feed the nurdles to their chicks.

Ms Smalley urged members of the public to report sightings by ringing 999 and asking for the coastguard, but avoid touching the pellets as they may have toxic pollutants stuck to them.

Mr Tagholm said: “Worryingly, it’s nearly impossible to remove these pellets from the ocean once they have entered it, and they can become more and more toxic as they break down into smaller and smaller pieces.”

A week after the vessels collided, triggering an explosion and fires which burned for a number of days, they both remain in the North Sea, with the Stena Immaculate at anchor 12 miles off Withernsea, and the Solong about 20 miles further south, off Mablethorpe.

The Coastguard said salvage operations were continuing at both vessels.

The company managing the Stena Immaculate described at the weekend how the “heroic” crew of the US fuel tanker had triggered a crucial fire-fighting system before abandoning ship.

Thanks to their efforts, only one of the Stena Immaculate’s cargo tanks containing jet fuel was damaged, Crowley, the maritime company said.

A salvage team has confirmed that 17,515 barrels of the 220,000 being carried have been lost, Crowley said.

A total of 36 people were rescued from the ships following the collision but a sailor from the Solong – named as 38-year-old Filipino national Mark Angelo Pernia – is missing and presumed dead.

Crew members from five lifeboat stations responded to the incident, and on Monday, George Pickford, the RNLI head of region for the North and East, said the charity was “incredibly proud” of its volunteers, who transferred casualties between vessels and helped in the search for the missing man.

Davina Silk, volunteer lifeboat crew member at Mablethorpe, said: “I am still processing the events of the incident, and it all seems rather surreal.

“One minute I was on a food safety training course at work, the next I was in the North Sea on our lifeboat surrounded by numerous lifesaving assets.

“The scale of the operation is one that I have never witnessed before and don’t know if I will again.”

The Solong’s captain, Vladimir Motin, 59, of Primorsky, St Petersburg, Russia, appeared at Hull Magistrates’ Court on Saturday morning charged with gross negligence manslaughter and was remanded in custody.

He will appear at the Old Bailey on April 14.