Following last week’s collision between a tanker and cargo vessel off the coast of East Yorkshire resulting in fires aboard both vessels, HM Coastguard is issuing updates here: Vessels incident off coast of East Yorkshire | HM Coastguard UK.
Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust and Norfolk Wildlife Trust are aware of the pollution now appearing along the coast of both counties bordering The Wash. The pollution is made up of burnt material and plastic nurdles.
The pollution is the result of the collision between the ships, Stena Immaculate and Solong, and it was released into the sea during the early days of the incident, according to the Maritime & Coastguard Agency modelling of weather and water flow. Wildlife Trust staff are continuing to work with the relevant authorities to ensure the material is netted out from the sea and collected from the shore.
Nurdles are small plastic pellets and one of the largest sources of microplastic pollution at sea – once they're released into the waves they're very hard to clear up
Plastic nurdles can be mistaken by wildlife, such as birds, as food, as they can look like eggs or small crustacea. At present there are four patches of nurdles that have been mapped and recorded in surveys. While the nurdle patches have been relatively small, they still present a concern for nature. The relevant authorities have now deployed vessels to try to net pollutants from the sea, and co-ordinated actions are underway to collect any that come ashore, such as those found at Holme Dune National Nature Reserve.
Tammy Smalley, Head of Conservation at Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, says:
"We’re very concerned about the nurdles and burnt material that is adrift at sea as well as being washed up along The Wash and the Norfolk coast following the tanker collision last week – and we will continue to support the authorities in their efforts to clean-up the pollution.
“If seabirds eat nurdles they can die from choking or starvation. At this time of the year there is also the risk that the birds return to their nests and feed the nurdles to their chicks. The plastic may also work its way up the food chain to larger marine mammals which feed on fish or smaller animals which have eaten nurdles.
“Nurdles are small plastic pellets and one of the largest sources of microplastic pollution at sea – once they're released into the waves they're very hard to clear up. We already have a huge problem with plastic pollution along the coast of the North Sea and our volunteers spend hours dealing with this laborious task.
“Unfortunately, the risks posed by nurdles increase when other pollutants become stuck to them. We urge members of the public to report nurdle sightings but to avoid touching them as they may have toxic pollutants stuck to them.”
The public are requested not to touch any material found, and that they ring 999 and ask for HM Coastguard to record the location during this emergency response period. If you have data on your mobile phone, using what3words to provide the location would be useful for such reporting. The Wildlife Trusts will continue to work with our fellow environmental bodies and the relevant authorities to address any risks to wildlife in the coming hours and days.