The accident with a cargo ship and oil tanker on the East Yorkshire coast is bad news for the sea, fish and air in the area. What we don’t know yet is how bad it will be.
It depends on a few things – but the speed of the collisionClouds of dirty black smoke from the fires and the leaked fuel is definitely worrying.
First, it matters what was on board the two massive vessels.
Follow live: Jet fuel that after the collision of the tanker spills in the sea
The analytical firm Vortexa estimates that the 183 m-long tanker wore about 130,000 barrels of ray fuel (kerosine), which is now leaking in the sea.
Jet fuel is not as sticky or fish food as heavier types of oil, so it is less likely to clog the feathers and fur of birds and seals. It can also be broken down by natural bacteria.
But it can still poison and kill fish and plants on the coastline when it comes to the ground.
The Marine Conservation Society pointed out that the site in the estuary of the Humber is near some protected areas and is important for seabirds and porpos.
And both ships will be powered by a dirty, heavier type of oil – probably marine gas oil or heavy fuel oil, although we do not yet know the details.
Heavy fuel oil is nasty good.
PHOTO: BARTEK SMIALEK/PA
Cheap, thick and tenderly, it can suffocate animals and is very dangerous if they consume them, and it is extremely difficult to clean up. Let’s hope it doesn’t crawl in the North Sea.
We do not know how much of the jet fuel or the oil that drives the ships, or how much will be burned in the violent fires – which itself plows black smoke and dirty air pollution in the surrounding atmosphere.
Read more:
How the British North Sea Platforms Gas shower
And we don’t know what was on the Solong Container Ship, and whether or not, in the sea.
Plastic takes hundreds of years to break down and can choke or capture animals.
Many of us have seen that awkward viral video of pull out a turtle with a straw From his nose. Previous accidents on cargo ships saw plastic Lego pieces rinse 25 years later in Cornwall.
Secondly, its impact depends on the sea and weather conditions around it.
Things like the wind and streams affect how an oil spill spreads into the sea. Scientists can set up computer models to simulate how the oil can act.
Third, it matters how quickly it is all tackled and then cleaned, if necessary, and if it can be.
The slower the reaction, the worse the impact.
The coast guard said the incident “stays constantly” and it has begun assessing the “probably anti -pollution response” that will be needed.
Such an answer may need the help of numerous public bodies: the Department of the Government, the Department of Transport, the Environmental Agency and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
So the best we can hope for – apart from the well -being of the people involved – that not all the oil is wasted or burned, that conditions are calm and that rescue workers and those who clean up can work quickly.
