How North Sea ship crash could have lethal consequences for wildlife

The monumental collision between a cargo ship and oil tanker off the East Yorkshire coast on Monday clearly spells bad news for the sea, wildlife and air around it. What we don't know yet is quite how bad it will be.

That depends on a few things - but the clouds of filthy black smoke from the fires still burning on Tuesday are worrying for a start, and these fires have prevented authorities from moving in and assessing the damage.

Firstly, it matters what was on board those two massive vessels and how much has leaked into the water.

The 183m-long tanker was carrying about 220,000 barrels of jet fuel in separate tanks, some of which has poured into the North Sea.

Jet fuel is not as sticky or viscous as heavier types of oil, and it can evaporate or be broken down by natural bacteria.

That means it should not clog the feathers and fur of birds and seals, but is still toxic and can poison fish and other animals.

But the other vessel, the Solong cargo ship, was reportedly carrying some alcohol and 15 containers of sodium cyanide.

This toxic chemical can be very dangerous if mixed with water. We do not know yet if it has spilled, but this and the jet fuel have the potential to be disastrous for local wildlife.

And there is a lot of it around the East Yorkshire coast. It's home to protected areas, major colonies of seabirds like puffins and gannets, and porpoises - as well as grey seals, which are currently rearing newborn pups.

Conservation charities are watching and bracing for what could be nasty.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said the crash was close to the biggest gannet colony in England and warned a leak could be "lethal" to seabirds.

On top of this, both ships will have been powered by a dirtier, heavier kind of oil - likely marine gas oil or heavy fuel oil.

Cheap, thick and tar-like, it can smother animals and is extremely difficult to clean up. Let's hope this isn't swimming around the North Sea already.

Secondly, the impact depends on the sea and weather conditions around it.

Things like the wind, waves and currents affect how an oil spill spreads in the sea. Scientists can draw up computer models to simulate how the oil could behave.

Thirdly, it matters how quickly this is all tackled and then cleaned up, if necessary, and if it can be.

Usually the slower the response, the worse the impact.

Source: Sky News