Cargo Pumped Off of Damaged Tanker Stena Immaculate
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The transfer of jet fuel cargo from the damaged tanker Stena Immaculate<\/em> has been completed, according to HM Coastguard, and salvors are now preparing to bring the vessel into a port of refuge in the UK.\u00a0<\/p>\n On March 10, the Portuguese-flagged feeder Solong<\/em> was on a routine coastal voyage off Hull, UK, making 16 knots on a steady southbound course. Without slowing or maneuvering, Solong\u00a0<\/em>rammed the port side of the anchored product tanker\u00a0Stena Immaculate<\/em>, penetrating two tanks. Both vessels caught fire, and the crew of the Immaculate<\/em> abandoned ship after an initial attempt to fight the blaze.\u00a0<\/p>\n One crewmember from Solong<\/em> is missing and presumed dead, and the boxship suffered extensive fire damage; debris from\u00a0Solong’s <\/em>cargo, including pelletized plastic, has washed up along nearby beaches in the UK. The boxship’s master has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter. \u00a0<\/p>\n After the casualty, salvors for Stena Immaculate’s <\/em>owner stabilized the situation on board the tanker and brought another vessel – Fure Vyl <\/em>– alongside for an STS transfer. The fuel has now been pumped off the Immaculate<\/em>, preparing her for a safe entry into the port of Great Yarmouth later this week.\u00a0<\/p>\n “HM Coastguard continues to support local authorities in their response to onshore pollution from the Solong <\/em>as a result of the collision [sic<\/em>]\u00a0. . . in both Norfolk and Lincolnshire. The clean-up operation has now moved from a proactive to reactive response. HM Coastguard will continue to keep the overall situation under close review,” said Chief Coastguard Paddy O\u2019Callaghan in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n HM Coastguard has asked the public to keep an open eye for nurdle pollution and to report it via the agency’s online tip portal.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \t
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