Fears of an environmental disaster were sparked at the weekend after an oil tanker and a cargo ship collided in the Channel east of the British port of Dover early on Saturday (July 1, 2017), but regional French maritime authorities have reported no injuries or pollution, according to Reuters.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution said that the Seafrontier, which had 27 crew members and around 40,000 tonnes of gasoline on board, suffered a hole above the waterline and damage to the “superstructure” as a result of the accident at 01:00 GMT.
Officials said that the Huayan Endeavour was not loaded but was carrying a crew of 22.
French maritime authorities stated that there were no injuries to report on both vessels, and that the Seafrontier was drifting but monitored.
The Huayan Endeavour could still navigate after the collision.
The Channel between Britain and France is one of the busiest shipping corridors in the world with about 500 vessels passing through per day.
Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the Huayang Endeavour was on route to Lagos in Nigeria and the Seafrontier was heading to Puerto Barrios in Guatemala.
Fleetmon’s latest update on the accident stated: “According to available photos, both vessels suffered significant damages.
“Looks like bulk carrier’s starboard bow struck tanker portside superstructure.
“Both vessels were proceeding in the same directions, looks like bulk carrier was overtaking tanker, something went wrong, and vessels collided.”
