A cargo ship struck a tanker Monday in a fiery crash in the North Sea off the coast of eastern England, causing fuel to stream into local waters.<\/p>\n
MV Stena Immaculate, the tanker, carries oil and chemicals and features the U.S.\u2019s flag. It had been close to the port of Grimsby and at anchor early Monday, The Associated Press reported<\/a>. Solong, a cargo ship featuring Portugal\u2019s flag, had been on its way to Scotland\u2019s Grangemouth when it hit the side of the Stena Immaculate.<\/p>\n The Stena Immaculate had also been involved in a group of commercial vessels that have the ability, if required, to be contracted for fuel carrying on the U.S. military\u2019s behalf, the AP reported.<\/p>\n Most of the crew for both ships made it safely to shore, according to the AP, but one of Solong’s crew members was missing, according to a statement from the ship’s owner. Twelve hours after the crash, the ships continued to be on fire, according to British coast guards.<\/p>\n Heidi Alexander, head of the U.K.\u2019s Department for Transport, said in a post<\/a> on the social platform X that she was \u201cconcerned to hear of the collision between two vessels in the North Sea this morning and am liaising with officials and HM Coastguard as the situation develops.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI want to thank all emergency service workers involved for their continued efforts in responding to the incident,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n