North Sea Vessel Collision

Robin Swann Excerpts

Tuesday 11th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mike Kane]

The environment is absolutely at the front of our mind. Once we get the fire out, we will make those impact assessments and take the appropriate measures to clean up pollution, if there is any. The Department is working across Government and with the local resilience forums. In the days ahead, once we have the impact assessments, we will liaise with partner agencies on the best way forward on bird, marine and fish protection and the environment.

[Robin Swann (South Antrim) (UUP)]

I join the Minister in paying tribute to all those emergency services that responded, but the unknown—the cargo of the Solong—is a major concern to many in the Chamber, and many who are working to deal with the incident. What engagement on this issue has the Minister had with the UN’s International Maritime Organisation, which has responsibility for the safety and security of shipping, and the prevention of marine and atmospheric pollution by shipping? What steps will be taken to learn from it? Will we engage with the IMO to ensure that all cargo at sea is known by someone?

[Mike Kane]

We are in discussions with the owners of both vessels. We know that the Solong was sailing from Grangemouth, and that it had a mixed cargo of containers. That is the only information available to me, and that information is being analysed. We are trying to ascertain more. I do not have information for the House at the moment, but as soon as I do, we will make it known. As I said, the Stena Immaculate was carrying 220,000 barrels of A-1 jet fuel. We can begin to prepare contingency plans with the information that we already have about the vessel.