Displaying items by tag: North Sea

A Russian captain has been arrested following a catastrophic collision between the cargo ship Solong and the US-flagged tanker Stena Immaculate in the North Sea. The crash, which occurred while the tanker (which was anchored) was carrying jet fuel for the US military, resulted in fires on both vessels and emergency rescue operations. The UK has launched a   criminal investigation, arresting the 59-year-old captain on suspicion of gross negligence, and also manslaughter because one crew member from the Solong is presumed dead (thirteen others were rescued). Experts are baffled by how such an incident could happen with modern navigation technology, which should have detected the tanker. Environmental groups have warned of a potential ecological disaster to nearby rare bird colonies if jet fuel leaks into the sea. Concerns were raised about sodium cyanide on board, but the ship’s owners denied that there was any hazardous cargo. This tragic event highlights the need for maritime safety and environmental protection.

The COP26 climate change summit will be held soon in Glasgow. Just a few hundred miles away in the North Sea, a particularly thorny problem is developing. Approval for developing the Cambo oilfield was given twenty years ago, and a regulator is due to give final approval, releasing approximately 800 million barrels of oil for Shell and Siccar Point Energy. Ministers and advisers insist that the approval of Cambo is entirely in the hands of the oil and gas regulator. But Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is accusing Boris Johnson of delivering a cabaret of soundbites rather than the global leadership necessary to make the climate change summit a success. There is a near-impossible balancing act for the Government to protect its credibility while urging other countries to increase emission reduction.