The UK is bracing for the environmental impact of the crash between a tanker laden with jet fuel and a cargo ship in the North Sea as police revealed a crew member of the vessel had been arrested for alleged negligence leading to the crash.
The US-flagged Stena Immaculate was at anchor when it was hit by the Solong, a Portuguese container ship sailing from Grangemouth in Scotland to Rotterdam in the Netherlands that is now expected to sink. Fires were still burning on the Solong 24 hours after the incident and a member of its crew is missing.
Jet fuel poured from a ruptured tank from the Stena Immaculate into the North Sea and collision sparked explosions and fires.
Its operator, US-based maritime management firm Crowley, said it was carrying 220,000 barrels of Jet-A1 fuel in 16 tanks, at least one of which was ruptured. The company said it was unclear how much fuel had leaked into the sea.
A 59-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the collision, Humberside Police said on Tuesday. In an update to the UK Parliament, Transport Minister Mike Kane said the fire on the Stena Immaculate “appears to be extinguished, but the Solong continues to burn”.
“Although they became attached to each other during the collision, the Solong broke free of the Stena Immaculate late last night and began drifting southward," he said. “Modelling suggests that should the Solong remain afloat it’ll remain clear of land for the next few hours.
"The assessment of His Majesty’s Coastguard is, however, that it is unlikely the vessel will remain afloat. Tugboats are in the vicinity to ensure that the Solong remains away from the coast and to respond as the situation develops.”
Pollution experts and wildlife protection campaigners are warning about the possible impact of the incident on the coast where there are several marine protected areas.
Alex Lukyanov, researcher on advanced mathematical models of oil spills from the University of Reading in England, said the effect of “spills like the one in the North Sea are affected by multiple factors”.
“The size of the spill, weather, sea currents, water waves, wind patterns and the type of oil involved all play crucial roles in determining environmental outcomes. This particular incident is troubling because it appears to involve persistent oil, which breaks up slowly in water. The environmental toll could be severe.”
Martin Slater, director of operations at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said East Yorkshire's coast was home to significant colonies of seabirds including puffins, razorbills, gannets and kittiwakes, which were gathering offshore ahead of the nesting season, as well as wintering waders and migrant birds.
“We're very worried indeed about the threat to these birds,” he said. “If pollution spillage enters the Humber, this could potentially be devastating for the wildlife of the estuary, including important fish stocks and tens of thousands of overwintering and migrating birds who use the mudflats.”
Hugo Tagholm, executive director of marine campaign group Oceana UK, said there is also the threat of heavy fuel oil leaking from the ships “near not one but two marine protected areas – places that should be safe havens for wildlife”.
“Oil is always an accident waiting to happen in our ocean and we are all familiar with its devastating impacts – seabirds slick with oil, marine life struggling in tarry tidelines, and a toxic legacy that can impact wildlife and coastal communities for years. More oil will always result in more spills.”
Ciara Baines, a researcher at University of Leeds' School of Biology, said that the impact of the crash was likely to be less severe than if the tanker had been carrying crude oil.
“It is worth noting that exposure to oil pollution can impact wildlife in the long-term as well as the short-term. Oil pollution can increase cancer rates in wildlife and lead to a decline in the long-term health of marine life exposed to the oil spill.”
Seyedvahid Vakili, maritime expert at the University of Southampton, said the collision was similar to when the Iranian tanker Sanchi collided with another ship in poor visibility during navigational failure while waiting in an anchorage.
“The ship, carrying 136,000 tonnes of condensate oil, burned for over a week, releasing toxic fumes and oil slicks and causing severe ecological damage.”
A spokesman for the government's Marine Accident Investigation Branch said a team sent to Grimsby on Humberside was “gathering evidence and undertaking a preliminary assessment”.
Dutch maritime servicing company Boskalis said it had been given the responsibility of salvaging the Stena Immaculate and was “fully mobilising”.
Four firefighting ships were on their way to the site on Tuesday but the tanker would need to be cooled before the fire could be extinguished, said Boskalis.
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● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
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● No of employees: Nine
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
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Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
How to get exposure to gold
Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.
A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.
Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.
Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.
London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long
However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.
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Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
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He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
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Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay
Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.
Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.
Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.
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Rating: 3.5/5
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Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
