Plastic Pollution Washes Ashore as UK Continues Planning Vessel Salvage
The first signs of pollution were reported by HM Coastguard in the water and washing ashore on Sunday, March 16, following the containership Solong hitting the anchored tanker Stena Immaculate. The Coastguard is saying the pollution likely entered the water at the point of collision on March 10 and that a retrieval operation has begun in the developing situation.
The RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) identified the pollution reporting on Sunday that a sheen had been spotted on the water. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said an aerial survey confirmed the pollution which has now been identified as plastic nurdles (small plastic pellets). Today, the Coastguard is reporting observers have found the first clumps of burnt pellets washing ashore at disparate locations along the shore between Old Hunstanton and Wells-next-the-Sea.
Nurdles are small pellets of plastic resin used in plastic production. They are sized between 1 and 5 mm and weigh less than a gram. The concern is that they pose a risk to wildlife and are especially challenging to clean up. Sri Lanka dealt with a large-scale clean-up effort in 2021 when the containership X-Press Pearl burnt and sank off Colombo and a large quantity of nurdles washed ashore. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) moved in 2023 for new regulations on the transport of nurdles because of the pollution risks.
HM Coastguard released pictures of the burnt clumps on the beach. The said retrieval has started today.
News of the first pollution came after U.S. shipping company Crowley, which operated Stena Immaculate under charter for the U.S. government, reported salvage teams had found the damage was contained on the vessel. SMIT Salvage is handling the job and its teams reported that only one cargo tank and one ballast tank were breached when the vessel was hit.
Crowley reports there was a total of 220,000 barrels of Jet-A1 fuel aboard. They now believe that 17,515 barrels were lost in the fire or leaked after the vessel was hit. The remaining cargo and the vessel’s bunkers are reported to be secure.
The company is crediting the crew of the Stena Immaculate with heroic actions as the fires were beginning. It said the crew had the presence of mind to activate fire monitors to provide boundary cooling water to the adjacent tanks.
The companies have warned that the salvage operation will be complex and that it will require time. Plans are being developed for both vessels and being reviewed with the MCA.