Ship collision: Over 20 casualties reported in North Sea

An oil tanker and a cargo ship collided off the coast of eastern England on Monday, setting both vessels on fire and triggering a major rescue operation

London: An oil tanker and a cargo ship collided off the coast of eastern England on Monday, setting both vessels on fire and triggering a major rescue operation, emergency services said.

Britain’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency said several lifeboats and a coast guard rescue helicopter were dispatched to the scene in the North Sea, along with a coast guard plane and nearby vessels with firefighting capability.

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The tanker, believed to be the US-flagged chemical and oil products carrier MV Stena Immaculate, was at anchor at the time, according to ship-tracking site Vessel Finder.

The cargo vessel, container ship Solong, was sailing from Grangemouth in Scotland to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

The boss of an English port says more than 20 casualties have been brought ashore after a collision between an oil tanker and a cargo ship in the North Sea.

Martyn Boyers, chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East, said 13 casualties were brought in on a Windcat 33 vessel, followed by another 10 on a harbour pilot boat.

He said some crew were still unaccounted for.