North Sea collision between tanker and cargo vessel, injures 32: UK Coastguard

UK media reported that both the oil tanker and cargo vessel were on fire off the northeastern coast of England. (Screengrab from Video)

The UK Coastguard said Monday it was responding to reports that an oil tanker and a cargo vessel had collided in the North Sea.

UK media reported that both the oil tanker and cargo vessel were on fire off the northeastern coast of England.

At least 32 injured have been brought ashore so far following a North Sea collision between an oil tanker and a cargo ship on Monday, a UK port official told AFP.

"Ambulances are queuing on the quay" following the incident off the northeast coast of England, said Martyn Boyers, chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East.

"HM Coastguard is currently co-ordinating the emergency response to reports of a collision between a tanker and cargo vessel off the coast of East Yorkshire," a Coastguard spokesperson said.

The alarm about the collision was alerted at 0948 GMT.

Images on the BBC showed a huge plume of black smoke and flames rising from the scene.

A Coastguard helicopter, aircraft, lifeboats from four towns and other nearby vessels were part of the large rescue operation, the Coastguard added.

Swedish tanker company Stena Bulk confirmed it owned the oil tanker involved in the accident, adding it was operated by Crowley, a US-based maritime company.

Lifeboat services reported that several people had abandoned the vessels following the collision, according to British media reports.

The oil tanker involved in the collision is on fire, two separate sources with knowledge of the crash have told the BBC.

Vessels with firefighting capabilities have been dispatched to the scene.

According to media reports, the cargo ship involved is the "Solong" or "So Long", owned by the German company Reederei Koepping.