Times: Details of the collision of two ships in the North Sea and avoid an environmental disaster

The British authorities continue to investigate the Solong shipping ship with the American oil tanker “Estena Emaciolite” in the North Sea on Monday, while the captain of the Russian ship remaining in detention with the British police after it was found that the ship had failed to pass many safety checks last year.

According to the owner of the shipping ship, the detained captain is a 59 -year -old Russian citizen, while the “Ernest Ross” shipping company, who owns Solong, stated that the Russian captain was leading the 14 -person crew members who were a mixture of Russian and Philippine citizens.

John Craig, the assistant head of the British Coast Guard, stressed that there is a comprehensive response to pollution, and that the British Coast Guard continues to prepare for any pollution that may occur due to the damage caused to ships, indicating that fears of the dangerous materials that were previously identified on the ship have decreased significantly. Wild air quality samples did not show any toxins, and the meteorological office models indicate that there is no threat to the public.

According to the British Times, which recounted the details of the collision, the incident took place on Monday morning, when the fog was thick over the North Sea and the Solong container ship that raises the Portuguese flag sailing along the eastern coast of the United Kingdom, heading to the Dutch port of Rotterdam.

The 140 -meter container ship, which had left the Scottish port of Grangmouth on Sunday evening, March 9, sailed at a speed of 16 knots and headed south, which is the way to sail it before.

The “Solong” ship was still going quickly when it had on the horizon on Monday morning, an oil tanker loaded with aircraft fuel. With less than one kilometer to avoid collision, Solong collided with the oil tanker “Estina Emakiolite”.

The collision seemed so strong that it pushed Estina Emaciolite a distance of approximately 200 meters, as the shipping data appears. Within a few minutes, the two ships caught fire.
The rescuers struggled to avoid what could be one of the worst environmental disasters in recent years. Should you leak 18,000 tons of aircraft fuel that Steina Emaciolite carried in the North Sea?

A member of the “Solong” crew was still missing when the Coast Guard announced late on Monday that the search had been canceled. On board Solong was 14 rituals, while Estina Emakiolite crew was consisting of 23 individuals.

The carrier sailed from the port of Corinth in Greece. The US military for transporting aircraft fuel hired it as part of the US government’s tanker security program, which supplies the Ministry of Defense with 10 vector registered in the United States to transport fuel “in times of armed conflict or national emergency.”

The carrier was to hand over its cargo to an facility in Emingham, northern England, on the mouth of the Hambar River, later this week and was waiting in a dedicated Riso area.

Avoid an environmental disaster

“The fire has been brought up in the fuel that started the spill, and if the 18,000 tons are lost, it will occupy the first rank among the largest fuel spills in Britain.”

Crowley explained that the ship “Estina Emaciolite” was torn in a shipping tank containing “Jet-A1 fuel”, and that the crew left the ship “after multiple explosions on board.

The Coast Guard summoned a helicopter, a fixed plane, 4 survival boats and up to 21 locomotives and a firefighting ship. Radio broadcasts show that the helicopter console warned the pilot that the ship was carrying a shipment of flammable liquid.

In a separate message on the radio sent to the ships in the area, the Coast Guard called ships with fire control equipment or search and rescue capabilities to go to the scene, adding: “The ship Estina Emaciolite bears the burning fuel of the water.”

The National Royal Foundation sent 4 crews and said: “There were reports that a number of people had left ships after a collision and fires in both ships.”

But one of the crews of the Foundation said that there was not much that they could do after the initial search and rescue process, adding: “He was thick fog and we could not see anything. We are not equipped with fire control equipment for this type of accident.” He added that the weather in the sea was “cold to the point of freezing.” It is understood that the Royal Institution process was reduced on Monday evening into only one boat.

More than 20 rescue and firefighting boats remained on the site, but the Coast Guard ordered them to stay away from the burning ships 3.2 km.

Michael Patterson, Managing Director of the British Company, said that 7 of the company’s ships were on the site with firefighting equipment capable of pumping 2,400 liters per minute.
He described the incident as “one of the most dangerous things I saw in my life in the sea.” Initially, the company sent 4 boats, and later increased it to 7, it would alternate all night.

With the return of traction boats and fire control ships, Lloyds La Intelligence, which provides marine data, stated that Solong was carrying 15 sodium sodium containers.

Sodium cyanide is not flammable, but when heated, hydrogen cyanide gas can be released, and it is flammable and medal. When inhaled, it disrupts the body’s ability to use oxygen and can cause headaches and disease, and in extreme cases, loss of consciousness or death.

However, it was emphasized on Tuesday that there was no sodium cyanide aboard Solong.

Patterson said: “We do not know how long this will continue, but this stages are usually research, rescue, and firefighting, then it moves to environmental control, pollution and saving ships,” Patterson said.

“We understand that search and rescue have been complete now, but it is clear that firefighting will continue as soon as we can return to help ships. Then we will need a kind of environmental control and rescue.”