Peter Aylott, Director of Policy said:

It is difficult, and unhelpful, at this stage to speculate the circumstances of what occurred with the incident between the two vessels in the North Sea yesterday. 

In such instances the priority is always the safety of the crews involved, and we are heartened to hear that 36 Seafarers are accounted for, but deeply saddened that one crew member remains unaccounted for following search and rescue efforts throughout yesterday.

Our thoughts, and thanks, also rest with the emergency services who provided the first response to the incident, and along with tugs and firefighting vessels, continue to work to bring the situation under control.

Measures will need to be swiftly put in place to limit pollution and damage to local habitat, species and surrounding area. Emergency vessels response plans are in place and the operators will be working closely with public agencies to contain the fire and secure the vessels as quickly and safely as possible.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch will now begin its work to gain a full and comprehensive picture of the circumstances in the lead up to and causes of the incident. We understand that preliminary investigations are already underway to assess the accident and determine the next steps. Vessels at anchor and underway are required to maintain a proper look out at all times and establishing what went wrong will be part of the investigation.

In the meantime, the priority is of course to bring the situation under full control, to minimise the environmental impact and to support the efforts of the emergency services in doing so.