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Original poster

North Sea collision

95 replies

KenAdams · 10/03/2025 15:17

Two ships have collided in the North Sea, one carrying A1 jet fuel.

Aside from the environmental impact which is yet to be determined, one of the ships was anchored. How do you not see an anchored ship?! Possibly it was foggy?

OP posts:
strappyshoe · 10/03/2025 15:18

i would have thought tech would be used to stop these accidents

itsgettingweird · 10/03/2025 15:19

I've just seen this and came to see if there was a thread.

Don't read about one ship being anchored.

Read that 30 people rescued, many kissing and both ships are ablaze.

Wadi situation and my thoughts are with anyone with family onboard or working as part of the rescue team.

CheesecakeOnTheLanai · 10/03/2025 15:19

I've just been watching this on Sky News, according to someone they were interviewing the weather wasn't too bad - there was a light fog but nothing that would obscure the pilot's vision.
Awful isn't it, I wonder when they will be able to assess the scale of the damage?

Sinkintotheswamp · 10/03/2025 16:01

It happened around 10am too, broad daylight.
Someone wasn't paying attention I think.

eurochick · 10/03/2025 16:17

Visibility sounds poor from recent interviews on Sky News but tech should have alerted the container ship to the anchored tanker. Thankfully these incidents are rare. I am very worried about the environment and sea life.

taxguru · 10/03/2025 16:19

Maybe the moving ship had a power failure like that one that hit the huge bridge in the USA a year or so ago. When there's no power, there's no way of controlling it.

Original poster
KenAdams · 10/03/2025 16:29

eurochick · 10/03/2025 16:17

Visibility sounds poor from recent interviews on Sky News but tech should have alerted the container ship to the anchored tanker. Thankfully these incidents are rare. I am very worried about the environment and sea life.

Yes, you would have thought so! Glad everyone is safe though, luckily help arrived on scene very quickly.

OP posts:
ElbowsUpRising · 10/03/2025 16:31

I’m a bit inland from this, it’s been quite foggy today. So could have been impaired visibility…..you’d think ships of that size have satellite tracking or something though.

Nooa · 10/03/2025 16:35

They both have their AIS on, so yes, they'd have been able to see each other. Anchored ship that size probably pretty helpless to get out of the way, so the Solong was presumably not paying attention/crew drunk or sick/no crew because they'd fixed the course and jumped ship previously to sink the US military supply vessel ... (Last one is not serious thought I'd joke about it before the conspiracy theorists come along) 😁

Xiaoxiong · 10/03/2025 16:37

@taxguru that accident in the States where the ship crashed into the bridge was my first thought too! Maybe the engine and/or steering cut out and momentum just kept the cargo ship going until it crashed into the moored tanker. Thank god everyone made it off safely.

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 10/03/2025 16:45

30 rescued and brought ashore in Grimsby.

Think I'd prefer to take my chances on the burning tanker tbh.

IBloodyLoveMyBlanket · 10/03/2025 16:50

Sinkintotheswamp · 10/03/2025 16:01

It happened around 10am too, broad daylight.
Someone wasn't paying attention I think.

Too busy kissing. Ask @itsgettingweird.

valder · 10/03/2025 16:51

Sabotage is the first thing that springs to mind.

Leela2 · 10/03/2025 17:02

valder · 10/03/2025 16:51

Sabotage is the first thing that springs to mind.

My first thoughts were I hope it was an accident.

CrazyOldMe · 10/03/2025 17:03

How did the fire actually start? I don't get how a ship hitting another does that?

valder · 10/03/2025 17:04

Leela2 · 10/03/2025 17:02

My first thoughts were I hope it was an accident.

Show quote history

Either way it's not nice. But sabotage is worse than an accident for sure, since it is deliberate. Strange thing to happen with all the navigation and anti collision gizmos these days.

itsgettingweird · 10/03/2025 17:11

CrazyOldMe · 10/03/2025 17:03

How did the fire actually start? I don't get how a ship hitting another does that?

The tanker was carrying jet fuel for the military.

I imagine that's what caused the fire ultimately.

Doesn't take much to ignore that amount of fuel!

itsgettingweird · 10/03/2025 17:11

Ignite even

AdaColeman · 10/03/2025 17:11

The Solong was probably on autopilot, with the Officer of the Watch not paying attention because he was eating his second breakfast!

But thankfully it looks as though all crew members from both ships are accounted for and safe.

PickAChew · 10/03/2025 17:14

It's pretty awful, however it happened. I'm wondering if the moving ship was in trouble. IIRC there's a lot of moving sand banks round the mouth of the Humber and it looks to have been low tide, at the time, though at 10 miles off the coast of Withernsea, I can't see that being a cause.

JohnKettleyIsAWeathermanAndSoIsMichaelFish · 10/03/2025 17:18

I'm also worried about the environmental impact. Strange though, it shouldn't have happened with technology these days.

PickAChew · 10/03/2025 17:20

JohnKettleyIsAWeathermanAndSoIsMichaelFish · 10/03/2025 17:18

I'm also worried about the environmental impact. Strange though, it shouldn't have happened with technology these days.

OT: thanks for the ear worm. I'll be singing your name to myself all evening, now!

KnickerFolder · 10/03/2025 17:23

CrazyOldMe · 10/03/2025 17:03

How did the fire actually start? I don't get how a ship hitting another does that?

A spark from a damaged electrical circuit or leaking fuel coming into contact with a hot part of the engine.

IthinkIamAnAlien · 10/03/2025 17:27

My first thought was sabotage and I happened to catch this programme just now in the car:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0028svl?partner=uk.co.bbc&origin=share-mobile

It's about the increasing amount of sabotage that is thought to be Russia. They have a research ship that has been sailing around for at least a decade mapping undersea cables and there are lots of mysterious, apparent accidents that are mounting up.

The Subsea War - BBC Sounds

Douglas Fraser investigates the struggle to defend critical subsea infrastructure.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0028svl?origin=share-mobile&partner=uk.co.bbc

RippleEffects · 10/03/2025 17:36

16 containers of sodium cyanide. That's one hell of a lot of very toxic water soluble poison.

If that is not contained goodness knows how horrific the environmental impact will be.