Cargo ship carrying highly toxic chemicals collides off UK coast

Maritime data provider Lloyd's List Intelligence said on March 10 that the Solong was carrying 15 containers of sodium cyanide (NaCN) - a highly toxic chemical used to extract gold and other precious metals from ores, which can be deadly and devastating to the environment - when it collided with the fuel tanker Stena Immaculate in the area off the coast of England earlier the same day.

Previously, some information confirmed that the collision also caused fuel from the two ships to leak into the sea.

Images on British television channels showed a thick column of black smoke and flames rising from the scene about 10 miles (16km) from the coast.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) confirmed there were reports of fires on both vessels, as well as a number of people jumping from the vessels following the collision.

Swedish company Stena Bulk confirmed ownership of the fuel tanker Stena Immaculate. The ship was flying an American flag and operated by Crowley at the time of the accident.

Meanwhile, the MarineTraffic tracker identified the Portuguese-flagged cargo ship Solong as owned by the German company Reederei Koepping.

According to Bloomberg, the collision occurred when the Stena Immaculate, which departed from Greece, was anchored near its destination.

An expert from environmental protection organization Greenpeace affirmed that it is too early to assess environmental damage.