dreadships - Network

Finally for now the concern about sodium cyanide has abated.I'm not entirely sure what's going on there, but it's possible it...

Finally for now the concern about sodium cyanide has abated.

I'm not entirely sure what's going on there, but it's possible it took some time to confirm which containers had been loaded and what they contained. There's a long history of contents and weights being utterly different to the manifest too - potentially dangerous for both stability and not going spontaneously on fire.

And even without the sodium cyanide there'll be plenty of other things in there that you don't want in your sushi.

It's accompanied by a tug, presumably as insurance, and also the pollution control vessel Mellum, which has come over from...

It's accompanied by a tug, presumably as insurance, and also the pollution control vessel Mellum, which has come over from Germany.

I've not heard much about pollution so far - it's going to depend on what has burnt off, what has already spilled, and what remains in breached tanks.

It remains at anchor, at a location that had probably been briefed on every passage plan going right now, with heavy amounts of underlining...

It remains at anchor, at a location that had probably been briefed on every passage plan going right now, with heavy amounts of underlining saying "do not hit"

Stena Immaculate meanwhile looks surprisingly healthy, considering its imminent reduction to razor blades. You can see how deeply Solong cut...

Stena Immaculate meanwhile looks surprisingly healthy, considering its imminent reduction to razor blades. You can see how deeply Solong cut into it - double hulls are great and all, but they're never going to withstand this.

On which note I'm pretty sure they've moved it south of the accident site to [checks notes] the point the entrance channels...

On which note I'm pretty sure they've moved it south of the accident site to [checks notes] the point the entrance channels converge.

Er, maybe not letting it sink right there, lads?

Solong remains on fire, and there are reports it might sink at some point.I'm not sure what has sparked those reports, but I will note...

Solong remains on fire, and there are reports it might sink at some point.

I'm not sure what has sparked those reports, but I will note ALL ships leak, there's not going to be any working pumps in this mess, and they might occasionally be damping down with more water.

At least they can try to get it to sink somewhere that's not too inconvenient.

Ok, so the news from today. Firstly, and unsurprisingly, the plod have declared their suspicion that somebody might have been a dickhead...

Ok, so the news from today. Firstly, and unsurprisingly, the plod have declared their suspicion that somebody might have been a dickhead...

Update late this evening - the ships are still burning, according to the coastguard agency. Pretty much everything else has left the scene...

Update late this evening - the ships are still burning, according to the coastguard agency. Pretty much everything else has left the scene although Trinity House's Alert is now on station and I'm watching a couple of tugs that are possibly going back.

The tanker is likely still anchored securely but it's been windier here in York this evening and I guess at some point Solong might detach itself.

Further update - looks like the Humber is open for business again. A lot of this is tugs etc returning, but there's ro-ro vessels and...

Further update - looks like the Humber is open for business again. A lot of this is tugs etc returning, but there's ro-ro vessels and bulkers in here too.

And given the shitshow of alleged seamanship from Solong's bridge team today, it sticks the absolute tin lid on things that they...

And given the shitshow of alleged seamanship from Solong's bridge team today, it sticks the absolute tin lid on things that they couldn't apparently confirm how many crew should have got off the vessel until this afternoon (search efforts were definitely wound down for a while).

I hope they have the book thrown at them.

Breaking - it looks like the search wasn't a false alarm at all. This is incredibly sad news given the reports earlier that everybody...

Breaking - it looks like the search wasn't a false alarm at all. This is incredibly sad news given the reports earlier that everybody was safe.

Given the nature of the tanker's cargo and employment - it's shifting jet fuel for the US government - there's been a fair bit...

Given the nature of the tanker's cargo and employment - it's shifting jet fuel for the US government - there's been a fair bit of speculation that something untoward happened here.

It's unlikely - Solong was passing exactly along its previous track through the area and was likely on autopilot to a regular waypoint. If it wanted to ensure a collision it wouldn't necessarily line it up nine hours in advance either. There's nothing suspicious in this - just incredibly stupid.

Solong went dark on AIS a long time ago. It's been absolutely ravaged by the fire. Stena Immaculate incredibly continues to advertise...

Solong went dark on AIS a long time ago. It's been absolutely ravaged by the fire. Stena Immaculate incredibly continues to advertise its position.

The tugs having to stand off isn't a problem either. The impact dragged Stena Immaculate nearly half a mile but its anchor has...

The tugs having to stand off isn't a problem either. The impact dragged Stena Immaculate nearly half a mile but its anchor has successfully held both vessels. By all accounts Solong is embedded firmly in its side - unsurprising as it hit square on at 16 knots with no attempt to either slow or change course.

As for other news you might not have caught, the vessels involved were evacuated almost immediately by a mixture of pilot vessels and...

As for other news you might not have caught, the vessels involved were evacuated almost immediately by a mixture of pilot vessels and windfarm support vessels - essentially the first things that could get on scene. The RNLI rightly get a lot of kudos, but seafarers of all backgrounds will kick into action to save lives where they can.

Given the situation they faced - a tanker full of jet fuel and a boxship of unknown cargo - I hope they are given the respect they deserve for this.

That's more or less where we are now. A number of tugs have been released and are mooching back to Grimsby, most of the smaller vessels...

That's more or less where we are now. A number of tugs have been released and are mooching back to Grimsby, most of the smaller vessels have also left - many of them were diverted from work duties and have been out since early morning. The RNLI and some major tugs remain nearby.

The Humber is currently closed to commercial shipping and vessels are either diverting or anchoring to wait.

Those vessels searched until around seven pm, stopping with darkness. It's still not clear what prompted it, but an obvious concern is...

Those vessels searched until around seven pm, stopping with darkness. It's still not clear what prompted it, but an obvious concern is that they're no longer convinced the whole crew is indeed ashore.

It was then reported, by by a local MP, that everybody had been accounted for, and the search efforts knocked off.Then in mid-afternoon...

It was then reported, by by a local MP, that everybody had been accounted for, and the search efforts knocked off.

Then in mid-afternoon everything changed. The tugs withdrew at least a couple of miles. This might be related to the announcement that fifteen containers of sodium cyanide were loaded on Solong, or perhaps an explosion risk.

Half an hour later an obvious and ominous searchline formed of smaller vessels.

This was the situation for most of the morning, with an increasing number of tugs coming to assist, and smaller vessels searching for a crew...

This was the situation for most of the morning, with an increasing number of tugs coming to assist, and smaller vessels searching for a crew member who was rumoured to be unaccounted for.

So this here was the position this morning. The blue vessels are tugs, red are generally rescue or pilot vessels, the greens are mostly high...

So this here was the position this morning. The blue vessels are tugs, red are generally rescue or pilot vessels, the greens are mostly high speed windfarm vessels. There's also some trawlers bimbling around. Solong is the yellow dot stuck in the side of the orange tanker, with an ocean going tug providing firefighting.