STENA IMMACULATE

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Crews of Solong and Stena Immaculate repatriated

The crew members of the 'Solong' and the 'Stena Immaculat'e have been repatriated as the investigation into the incident continues. The HM Coastguard gave its last daily update on the morning of March 20, while a government minister traveled to the area to thank the brave first responders and civilian crews that saved the seafarers as the vessels were engulfed in flames. TheTransport Minister Mike Kane visited Grimsby Docks meeting with personnel from HM Coastguard as well as the teams from offshore wind operator RWE and Windcat which provides the crew transfer services from the port. He praised the actions of the commercial crews and thanked everyone for their efforts which saved the crews. Kane highlighted that the 'Windcat 33', contracted by RWE to assist with the transport of its technicians to RWE's Humber Gateway offshore wind farm, was first on the scene. The crew transfer vessel had completed taking technicians out to the wind farm and was 12 minutes away when the Mayday calls were issued. The crew of the 'Solong' was in a lifeboat when the vessel arrived, took them aboard, and brought them ashore. A second vessel repeated the same process rescuing the crew of the 'Stena Immaculate', which had also abandoned the tanker aboard its lifeboat. The 36 seafarers were triaged at Grimsby Dock. They were treated on scene and one person who had been injured declined further medical assistance. The UK’s Marine Accident Investigation Branch was conducting interviews and gathering information as part of its investigation into the incident. On March 20 an approximately 1,500-meter-long and 200-meter-wide oil film was discovered by a satellite of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) 100 kilometers west of Sylt island within the German Economic Zone Fuel analyses will now determine whether the film is the result of the aollision between the 'Solong' and the 'Stena Immaculate'. After the satellite reported the pollution, an oil reconnaissance aircraft from the Central Command for Maritime Emergencies (CCEM) took off from the Nordholz naval air base and confirmed the location. The "Bad Düben," which was on maritime patrol in the North Sea at the time, then headed for the site of the pollution. The crew took two water samples and a so-called background pollution sample for comparison. These samples are now being analyzed on land. Report with photos: https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/crews-from-solong-and-stena-immaculate-return-home-as-salvage-continues

Noodles washing up at the coast cause concerns

More than a week after the alision of the 'Solong' and the 'Stena Immaculate' off Lincolnshire, clumps of tiny, molten pellets, known as nurdles, were being washed up on its beaches, including in Skegness. While the resort's Pleasure Beach is due to reopen to the public on March 22 after the winter break, black mounds, of varying shapes and sizes, are peppeing the sands. At beach level, people are inspecting them. Teams from East Lindsey District Council have started to clear the mess up. The clumps of pellets, which were fused together by the heat and stinks of fuel. The owners of the 'Solong' have admitted the pellets, which were stored in containers on board, were released because of the accident. On March 17 the HM Coastguard said some were beginning to wash up around The Wash, a large inlet of the North Sea stretching from just south of Skegness to near Hunstanton, in Norfolk. According to the authorities, the pellets are not toxic to humans. Conservationists were warning that wildlife, especially birds, could ingest the pellets and fall seriously ill. The local authorities were leading the onshore response in both Norfolk and Lincolnshire. After the fires on board the 'Solong' have been extinguished, the salvors were now accessing all parts of the vessel. Aerial surveillance flights were monitoring both vessels, which remained stable, and the salvage operation daily. Reports with photos: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c15qy413wkwo https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2817e01yno https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/grimsby-news/beach-clean-up-continuing-salvors-10037858

Also the fire on the Solong is out - both ships remain off the coast

The fire on board the 'Solong has been extinguished' on March 18, more than a week after the ship collided with the tanker 'Stena Immaculate'. The British Coastguard has been talking about small pockets of fire since March 12, which have been burning until this day. Plastic pellets have been observed off the east coast of England, south of the collision site. The British Coastguard has started a clean-up operation. They have also issued an appeal to report any plastic pellets that people come across. The fire on the tanker has been extinguished since last week, and a salvage team from Boskalis has boarded the ship several times since MArch 13, inspecting the cargo tanks, engine room and bridge. Boskalis wants to prepare the ship to pump out the kerosene and take it to a port. When that would be possible was not yet known. Both vessels remained in the area, with the 'Stena Immaculate' at anchor 12 miles off Withernsea, and the 'Solong' about 20 miles further south, off Mablethorpe. One sailor from the 'Solong' – named as 38-year-old Filipino national Mark Angelo Pernia – remained missing and presumed dead. The captain, Vladimir Motin, 59, of St. Petersburg, Russia, appeared at Hull Magistrates’ Court on the morning of March 15, charged with gross negligence manslaughter and was remanded in custody. Members of the public have been asked to report nurdle finds to the Humber Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre on 0344 382 0580 or email zone8@hmcg.gov.uk. Report with photos: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/clean-operation-under-way-pellets-162521587.html