Cargo ship hits a tanker in fiery crash off England

by Tara Suter - 03/10/25 9:30 PM ET

Bartek Śmiałek via Associated Press
This image provided by Bartek Śmiałek shows smoke billowing from a vessel after a cargo ship hit a tanker carrying jet fuel off eastern England on March 10, 2025 setting both ablaze and sending fuel pouring into the North Sea.

A cargo ship struck a tanker Monday in a fiery crash in the North Sea off the coast of eastern England, causing fuel to stream into local waters.

MV Stena Immaculate, the tanker, carries oil and chemicals and features the U.S.’s flag. It had been close to the port of Grimsby and at anchor early Monday, The Associated Press reported. Solong, a cargo ship featuring Portugal’s flag, had been on its way to Scotland’s Grangemouth when it hit the side of the Stena Immaculate.

The Stena Immaculate had also been involved in a group of commercial vessels that have the ability, if required, to be contracted for fuel carrying on the U.S. military’s behalf, the AP reported.

Most of the crew for both ships made it safely to shore, according to the AP, but one of Solong’s crew members was missing, according to a statement from the ship’s owner. Twelve hours after the crash, the ships continued to be on fire, according to British coast guards.

Heidi Alexander, head of the U.K.’s Department for Transport, said in a post on the social platform X that she was “concerned to hear of the collision between two vessels in the North Sea this morning and am liaising with officials and HM Coastguard as the situation develops.”

“I want to thank all emergency service workers involved for their continued efforts in responding to the incident,” she added.

Crowley, a U.S company and the Stena Immaculate’s manager, said in a Monday release that it “is working closely with response agencies including the HM Coastguard to secure the vessel in a restricted safety area and initiate spill containment response.”

The Hill has reached out to the Department of Defense for comment.

Solong’s owner, Ernst Russ, said in a statement emailed Tuesday to The Hill that it “continue[s] to follow the situation closely surrounding this collision incident involving our vessel, SOLONG in the North Sea, off Hull, UK.”

“Our focus remains the well-being of our 13 crew members that were evacuated from the containership,” it added.

The Associated Press contributed.

Updated at 3:06 p.m. EDT

Tags cargo ship england tanker UK