Stena Bulk MR tanker Stena Immaculate and a Portugal-flagged container feeder fessel are both on fire off the UK’s east coast
The UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is co-ordinating an emergency response following reports of a collision between a tanker and cargo vessel off the coast of east Yorkshire the agency said resulted in fires aboard both vessels.
“The alarm was raised at 9.48 am. A Coastguard rescue helicopter from Humberside was called, alongside lifeboats from Skegness, Bridlington, Maplethorpe and Cleethorpes, an HM Coastguard fixed-wing aircraft, and nearby vessels with fire-fighting capability. The incident remains ongoing and an assessment of the likely counter pollution response required is being enacted,” a statement from the agency said.
The vessels are the US-flagged MR tanker Stena Immaculateand Portugal-flagged Solong, a small container vessel.
A Humber Coastguard radio dispatch posted online said the container vessel had struck the MR tanker, which was carrying “jet-A1 fuel, which is on fire and in the water”.
The dispatch requested contact from vessels with fire-fighting and search and rescue capabilities and said “both vessels are abandoning”.
The BBC has reported Stena Bulk chief executive Erik Hanell as saying all of the crew of the Stena Immaculate are safe, saying that includes more than 20 individuals.
A spokesperson for the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said: “The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has deployed a team to Grimsby following the collision of the Portuguese registered container ship Solong and the US registered oil tanker Stena Immaculate which collided in the North Sea this morning. Our team of inspectors and support staff are gathering evidence and undertaking a preliminary assessment of the accident to determine our next steps.”
More than 30 people have reportedly been taken ashore from the location of the incident on various harbour and transfer vessels. The incident took place at an outer anchorage, according to the Coastguard, which the chief executive of Port of Grimsby East, Martyn Boyers, told reporters was about 16 km off the coast from the port. Mr Boyers also reported ’a flotilla of ambulances’ searching for crew who remain unaccounted for.
49,729-dwt tankerStena Immaculateis part of a joint venture betwen Stena Bulk and Crowley in the US. It is one of three Crowley-managed tankers to have been chosen by the US Maritime Administration for the US’ 10-vessel Tanker Security Program, which aims to “ensure efficient transport during critical periods” for US national defence purposes. Under the programme terms, the three tankers are able to operate on commercial contracts internationally but can be chartered on a short-term basis to serve the US government’s operations.
The VesselsValue AIS database shows Stena Immaculate’s recent trip from Greece to the UK, where it arrived and remained stationary, from 7 March 2025.AIS data from the 804-TEU, 9,322-dwt box feeder vessel Solong shows the vessel sailing from Scotland on 9 March en route to Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
A statement from Stena Immaculate joint venture owner and vessel operator Crowley posted to the company’s social media pages said the vessel “was struck by the container ship Solong”.
“The Stena Immaculate sustained a ruptured cargo tank containing jet A1 fuel due to the allision. A fire occurred as a result of the allision, and fuel was reported released. The Stena Immaculate crew abandoned the vessel following multiple explosions onboard. All Crowley mariners are safe and fully accounted for.”
