‘Deep concern’ for wildlife after pellets wash up following two-ship collision
Conservationists say it is a ‘real race against time’ after the plastic nurdles began appearing on beaches from the collision in the North Sea.
Wildlife groups say they are “deeply concerned” about plastic pellets which have started washing up on beaches following the collision between a tanker and a container ship in the North Sea, stressing it is now a “real race against time”.
The nurdles, which have begun appearing on the northern coast of Norfolk and other areas around The Wash, are thought to have been released when the container ship Solong collided with the fuel tanker Stena Immaculate off the coast of East Yorkshire a week ago.
The coastguard said on Monday that the nurdles, which are between 1-5mm in size and weigh less than a gram, are not toxic but they can present a risk to wildlife if ingested.
It added: “A retrieval operation is under way after plastic nurdles were sighted in waters just off The Wash and at disparate locations along the shore between Old Hunstanton and Wells-next-the-Sea.
“Coastguard Rescue Teams and other specialist counter pollution assets have been sent to assist with this response.
“Regular aerial surveillance flights continue to monitor both vessels and the retrieval operation.”
Wildlife and environmental organisations said the nurdles, which are small pellets of plastic resin used in plastics production, can have a devastating effect on animals including seals, puffins and fish.
Members of the public have been warned not to touch the pellets, which can be covered in other pollutants, and to alert the coastguard through the 999 service if they are found.
Steve Rowland, RSPB area manager, said pellets the size of lentils were washing up along miles of Norfolk coast, including the charity’s reserve at Titchwell.
“Some are loose and some are clumped together, they are charred and smell of kerosene. We believe they are from last week’s tragic ship collision in the North Sea,” he said.
He said: “This whole area, part of our East Coast Wetlands, is internationally important for birds and wildlife.
“It’s a crucial migration route at this time of year, a vital feeding place for seabirds, and soon the nesting site for rare and threatened terns and wading birds.
“Currently the pollution is on the tideline, but we only have a few days to get this off the beaches before rising tides disperse the debris and it is washed back into the sea and into the food chain.”
“This is a real race against time – we’ve got about seven days before the tides change,” he added.
Calum Duncan, head of policy and advocacy at the Marine Conservation Society, said: “We’re deeply concerned about nurdles washing up along the Wash, a vital internationally important protected area for birds like waders, wildfowl, gulls and terns.
“These tiny plastic pellets, used in manufacturing countless plastic products, pose a significant threat to marine life.
“Fish and seabirds could mistake them for food, leading to starvation and serious health issues.”
Hugo Tagholm, executive director of Oceana UK, said the pellets can be trapped in the stomachs of wildlife and stop them eating real food, leading to starvation.
Mr Tagholm said: “Worryingly, it’s nearly impossible to remove these pellets from the ocean once they have entered it, and they can become more and more toxic as they break down into smaller and smaller pieces.”
Sophie Benbow, director of marine, fauna & flora at Oceana UK, said: “It is extremely concerning that the North Sea ship collision has resulted in a mass plastic pellets spill.
“Once lost into the ocean, these tiny pieces of plastic are almost impossible to contain.
“Plastic pellets are one of the largest sources of microplastic pollution globally and pose a grave threat to nature and coastal communities.”
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said it was informed by the RNLI on Sunday of a “sheen” in the sea just off The Wash, which has turned out to be nurdles.
Chief coastguard Paddy O’Callaghan said surveillance flights have confirmed the nurdle spill and “other assets have subsequently been deployed”.
Mr O’Callaghan said: “Retrieval has started today.
“This is a developing situation and the Transport Secretary continues to be updated regularly.”
A week after the vessels collided, triggering an explosion and fires which burned for a number of days, they both remain in the North Sea, with the Stena Immaculate at anchor 12 miles off Withernsea, and the Solong about 20 miles further south, off Mablethorpe.
The Coastguard said salvage operations were continuing at both vessels.
The company managing the Stena Immaculate described at the weekend how the “heroic” crew of the US fuel tanker had triggered a crucial fire-fighting system before abandoning ship meaning that only 17,515 barrels of the 220,000 barrels of jet fuel being carried have been lost.
A total of 36 people were rescued from the ships following the collision but a sailor from the Solong – named as 38-year-old Filipino national Mark Angelo Pernia – is missing and presumed dead.
Crew members from five lifeboat stations responded to the incident, and on Monday, George Pickford, the RNLI head of region for the North and East, said the charity was “incredibly proud” of its volunteers.
Davina Silk, volunteer lifeboat crew member at Mablethorpe, said: “The scale of the operation is one that I have never witnessed before and don’t know if I will again.”
The Solong’s captain, Vladimir Motin, 59, of St Petersburg, Russia, appeared at Hull Magistrates’ Court on Saturday morning charged with gross negligence manslaughter and was remanded in custody.
