A cargo vessel sailing from Grangemouth and an oil tanker were on fire after colliding in the North Sea and forcing crews to abandon ship.

A huge rescue operation was under way off the Yorkshire coast involving lifeboats and firefighting teams and 32 casualties were brought ashore. One crew member remained missing.

The tanker involved in the incident was believed to the US-flagged Stena Immaculate while the cargo ship is a Portuguese-flagged container MV Solong

According to ship tracking site MarineTraffic, the Stena Immaculate had travelled from the Greek port of Agioi Theodoroi, and was anchored outside Hull.

The cargo vessel had been sailing from the port of Grangemouth to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands. The two collided with the Stena Immaculate at around 9:48 GMT.

The Stena Immaculate was carrying aviation fuel for the US military that was set ablaze. The Solong’s cargo included 15 containers of sodium cyanide, both prompting environmental concerns.

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