Oil tanker and a cargo ship collide in North Sea

A major rescue operation was carried out on Monday following the collision of an oil tanker and a cargo ship off the coast of East Yorkshire in northern England.

The UK's Royal National Lifeboat Institution told AFP that there were reports of "fire on both boats" and that "the crew had abandoned the vessels."

Images broadcast on British television showed flames and a large amount of smoke rising some ten miles off the coast.

The alert of the accident was made at 05:48 am.

A helicopter, a fixed-wing aircraft and lifeboats belonging to the UK Coastguard from four surrounding towns were part of the rescue operations.

Grimsby harbormaster Martyn Boyers told AFP that 32 victims were brought ashore "aboard three boats" to receive assistance. According to Boyers' statements, some of the boats' crew may still be unaccounted for. Boyers also told AFP that the tanker was at anchor at the time of the collision.

The Swedish company Stena Bulk told AFP that it is the owner of the tanker, confirming that it is under the US flag and that it is operated by the Crowley company.

Following the accident, Crowley posted on X that the tanker, which was carrying jet fuel, was struck by the cargo ship.

The cargo ship was identified as a Portuguese vessel registered in Madeira that was bound for the city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

The UK Coastguard has confirmed that a probable pollution risk assessment has been carried out following the collision.

The assessment of any environmental damage will depend on "the amount and type of oil carried by the tanker, the fuel carried by both ships and how much of that, if any, has entered the water," a Greenpeace UK spokesman explained.