At least 33 casualties have been found after a US-flagged oil tanker and Portuguese cargo ship collided 10 miles off the East Yorkshire shore in the United Kingdom.
Some people remain missing, having reportedly fled into the North Sea amid a massive fireball.
Officials say the Stena Immaculate was anchored near the Humber Estuary when it was struck by MV Solong.
The incident occurred shortly before 9:50 am local time, when officials say the cargo ship Solong struck the anchored tanker Stena Immaculate about 10 nautical miles from shore.
Both ships immediately caught fire, creating black smoke and prompting local authorities to warn residents to close their windows.
Video footage posted online shows flames tearing through the ships while rescue crews rush to the scene.
A local MP said that 36 people are "safe and accounted for" and "only one person" is in the hospital.
“I was told there was a massive fireball,” said Martyn Boyers, chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East.
“It’s too far out for us to see, but we watched as the rescue vessels brought them in. They must have sent a mayday out, and luckily there was a crew transfer vessel out there already.”
The Stena Immaculate, which is approximately 600 feet long and weighs 30,000 tonnes, had been anchored while carrying Jet A1 fuel and on a short-term charter for the US government.
“Stena Immaculate was on a short-term charter with Military Sealift Command,” said Jillian Morris, the spokesperson forthe US Defense Department.
Maritime expert David McFarlane told Sky News that blame will likely rest with the moving vessel, since it can take up to an hour for a stationary ship to lift its anchor. However, he cautioned that it was too early to assign definitive responsibility.
Emergency responders, including the Hazardous Area Response Team, quickly arrived on the scene.
Ambulances, lifeboats from Skegness, Bridlington, Mablethorpe, and Cleethorpes, as well as a coastguard rescue helicopter, were sent to assist.
Nearby vessels with firefighting capability joined the effort, as the fire continued to burn.
A spokesperson for East Midlands Ambulance Service confirmed multiple resources had been deployed, while South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue stated that six fire engines and an aerial vehicle were tackling the blaze.
Early tracking data suggests the Solong, measuring roughly 460 feet and weighing 8,000 tonnes, had departed Grangemouth in Scotland en route to Rotterdam.
Meanwhile, the Stena Immaculate, built in 2017 and sometimes chartered by US agencies, was reportedly en route from Greece to the United Kingdom.
The cause of the collision remains under investigation.