Wildlife at risk after plastic pellets spill into North Sea following ship collision
The coastguard said the ‘nurdles’ are not toxic, but can be a risk to wildlife if ingested.
Plastic pellets which can cause significant harm to wildlife have washed ashore following a collision between a tanker and container ship in the North Sea last week, the coastguard has confirmed.
The pellets, known as "nurdles," are small pieces of plastic resin used in plastics manufacturing.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) reported that the RNLI initially alerted them to a sheen on the water's surface just off The Wash on Sunday.
This sheen was later identified as a mass of nurdles. The MCA believes these pellets likely entered the sea during the collision between the Stena Immaculate tanker and the container ship Solong, which occurred off the East Yorkshire coast last Monday.
Chief coastguard Paddy O’Callaghan stated on Monday that some of the nurdles have now been found on the shoreline, raising concerns about the potential impact on local wildlife.
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, the MCA said.
Mr O’Callaghan said: “Yesterday, the RNLI advised the MCA of a sighting in waters just off the Wash of a sheen that we now know to be plastic nurdles.
“This was confirmed by aerial surveillance flights and other assets have subsequently been deployed.
“Some nurdles have now also been identified on the shore.
“Retrieval has started today.
“This is a developing situation and the Transport Secretary continues to be updated regularly.”
Nurdles can cause significant harm to wildlife.
When the X-Press Pearl caught fire and sunk off the coast of Sri Lanka, in 2021, the most “significant” harm, according to the UN, came from the spillage of 87 containers full of nurdles.
At the time, photos of the beach in Negombo with debris and oil from the burning ship sparked anger among Sri Lankans.
It was the largest plastic spill in history and the nurdles were subsequently found in the bodies of dead dolphins and the mouths of fish.
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.
Thanks to their efforts, only one of the Stena Immaculate’s cargo tanks containing jet fuel was damaged, Crowley, the maritime company said.
A salvage team has confirmed that 17,515 barrels of the 220,000 being carried have been lost, Crowley said.
“The coastguard position remains that there continues to be no cause for concern for pollution from the tanker,” a statement added.
A total of 36 people were rescued from the ships following the collision but a sailor from the Solong is missing and presumed dead.
The Solong’s captain, Vladimir Motin, 59, of Primorsky, St Petersburg, Russia, appeared at Hull Magistrates’ Court on Saturday morning charged with gross negligence manslaughter and was remanded in custody.
He will appear at the Old Bailey on April 14.