Salvage Ops Set to Begin as Fire Diminishes on Stena Immaculate Tanker

A fire onboard the Stena Immaculate oil tanker has greatly diminished with no visible flames, as initial salvage activities begin in the North Sea, the manager of the vessel Crowley reported.

Crowley said it is working closely with U.K. agencies to support the incident response, salvage and environmental impact mitigation operations resulting from container ship Solong striking the tanker Stena Immaculate while at anchor on Monday, March 10.

Worth noting, Solong’s owner has characterized the event as a collision rather than an impact with a stationary vessel.

A fire onboard the Stena Bulk-owned oil tanker Stena Immaculate has greatly diminished with no visible flames, Crowley said. The company continuing to assist response efforts led by the U.K. Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

“The vessel is stationary at anchor and being monitored by Crowley representatives, partners and government authorities, and we are working alongside partners during initial salvage activities.

“In the meantime, we are prioritizing supporting the health and wellbeing of our mariners in Grimsby and the response effort to mitigate environmental threats,” Crowley said in a statement.

According to earlier reports, Dutch marine services provider Boskalis is tasked with salvaging the U.S.-flagged tanker.

It remains uncertain at this time what volume of fuel may have been released as a result of the incident, but initial review shows impacts have been limited due to exposure to the fire and evaporation of the Jet A1 fuel.

In addition, U.K agencies are closely monitoring air quality and any possible public health impacts resulting onshore. Both are currently measuring low or within normal levels.

Authorities continue to investigate the cause of the incident and its impacts.

Crowley noted that the individual arrested by local police is not a member of the Crowley crew.

The man was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the incident, and a criminal investigation is currently underway.