republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
An oil tanker transporting jet fuel recently collided with a cargo vessel while anchored 13 miles off the eastern coast of England. This incident triggered a series of substantial explosions and released a significant plume of black smoke, with an undetermined amount of jet fuel spilling into the ocean.
As marine ecologists from the University of Hull, located nearest to the incident, we are intimately familiar with this coastline and its surrounding waters. Although it’s premature to ascertain the full impact, it is clear that this spill endangers one of Britain’s most vital coastal areas—both from an ecological and commercial fishing perspective.
The collision took place within the Holderness offshore marine protected area, characterized by a coarse sandy seabed that supports a diverse range of species. Among these is the ocean quahog, a clam species renowned for its longevity, often reaching over 500 years. This area also serves as a nursery for various fish species, including lemon sole, plaice, and European sprat.
This location overlaps with zones designated to safeguard harbor porpoises and lies adjacent to the Humber Estuary, which features mud flats, sand dunes, and marshes where numerous birds find refuge during winter. It is also home to essential species such as lampreys and gray seals.
Just north of the collision site lies the UK’s largest mainland breeding colony for seabirds, situated along the Flamborough and Filey coast. Each year, over 250,000 birds nest in this region, including significant populations of guillemots and razorbills. The area is also critical for conservation, hosting species such as gannets, kittiwakes, and puffins.
To the south, other protected shorelines and a vital breeding ground for gray seals are also present. The Wash, where four rivers converge into a large, square-shaped estuary, is located 70 kilometers to the south, within the general drift direction from the tanker collision. This area encompasses extensive salt marshes and serves as another significant habitat for wintering birds.
