Concern in resort as crash ship pellets wash up

More than a week after a cargo ship struck an oil tanker in the North Sea, Lincolnshire is beginning to see the impact. Clumps of tiny, molten pellets, known as "nurdles", are being washed up on its beaches, including in Skegness.

From the top of the Giant Wheel on the resort's Pleasure Beach, which is due to reopen to the public on Saturday after the winter break, the scale of the issue is apparent: black mounds, of varying shapes and sizes, now pepper the golden sands.

At beach level, people are inspecting them. Two coastguard officials stop to chat while teams from East Lindsey District Council begin to clear up.

Some visitors to the beach are aware that the blackened material is believed to be from the cargo ship Solong, which crashed into the tanker Stena Immaculate on 10 March.

Others seem unaware as they pick up the clumps of pellets, which were fused together by flames that engulfed both vessels following the incident off the East Yorkshire coast.

Some are allowing their dogs to sniff the material.

Steven Davison, a local, tells me the arrival of the debris is "a bit concerning". He adds: "I'm surprised it's washed up this far south."

Stuart Green, 68, another local, says the pellets "look just like fish eggs".

"That could be a problem for the wildlife around here. It could also be dangerous for dogs.

"It's very upsetting. We have all the seals up at Gibraltar Point. Pup season has only recently ended."

Nurdles are balls of plastic resin used in plastics production.

Mr Green is holding a plastic bag containing several small clumps he has picked up on his morning walk, though officials have strongly advised people to leave the material alone.

"I'm a volunteer in the RNLI shop and so felt some responsibility to help clear it up," he tells me.

"The coastguard told me to put it next to the bins, not in it, because it stinks of fuel and they obviously don't want it to go up in flames if someone drops a cigarette end in there."

The owners of the Solong have admitted the pellets, which were held in containers on board, were released because of the crash.

On Monday HM Coastguard said some were beginning to wash up around The Wash – a large inlet of the North Sea stretching from just south of Skegness to near Hunstanton, in Norfolk.

Kevin Turgoose, 72, who is walking his dog, says it was "inevitable" Lincolnshire would be next.

"We've been having some strong winds from the north-east over the past week," he tells me. "It was always going to wash up here."

Christine Peters, 76, and her daughter Tracy Lear, 59, have parked their mobility scooters on a boardwalk next to a lifeguard lookout tower.

"It's disgusting, absolutely disgusting," says Ms Peters, shaking her head. "The weather is just starting to get better. It'll soon be Easter and this beach will be full of children."

According to the authorities, the pellets are not toxic to humans. But Ms Lear adds: "It can't be healthy though, can it?"

On sunny days like this, the mother and daughter come here to marvel at the seabirds that inhabit this coastline.

"I'm really worried about them eating this stuff and getting ill," says Ms Peters.

Conservationists share their concerns, warning wildlife, especially birds, could ingest the pellets and fall seriously ill.

Nikkita Holland, 31, who is from Doncaster but holidaying at Butlin's, tells her young daughter to keep away from the clumps.

"It's quite shocking," she says. "I didn't know what it was. It doesn't look great."

Further up the beach, I spot several dead seabirds. It is impossible to know if they had consumed the material.

Dennis Simpson, 77, and his wife Gill, 70, have also noticed the dead birds.

"We've counted three," says Mrs Simpson. "We don't usually see dead seabirds on this beach."

Mr Simpson adds: "We thought something would wash up here."

His wife was volunteering in the RNLI shop, close to the beach, when the crash happened.

"Everyone was running around all over the place," she recalls.

Sharon Glenville, 60, who is walking her two dogs, tells me she thought the clumps were pieces of coal. Her face drops when I tell her what it is.

"Injured seals, once recuperated, are released along this stretch of coastline," she says. "It's such a beautiful place."

However, Ms Glenville tells me it could be far worse.

"I thought there might have been oil spills," she says.

Chris Morris is visiting from Lincoln with his metal detector.

"I'm worried about the wildlife and fish," he says. "I'm worried birds will mistake the pellets for food."

The collision is believed to have claimed the life of Mark Angelo Pernia, a 38-year-old Filipino national and crew member of the Solong. He was posted as missing and presumed dead.

Vladimir Motin, 59, of Primorsky in St Petersburg, Russia, the captain of the Solong, has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter. He is due to appear before the Central Criminal Court in London on 14 April.

In a statement, East Lindsey District Council (ELDC) said: "ELDC's waste team are at Skegness beach now cleaning up plastic pellets (nurdles) and any other debris that has been found following the incident in the North Sea last week.

"Please remember that, whilst the risk to the public is low, dogs should be kept away from anything found to avoid it being ingested, and it should not be picked up or moved to restrict its spread.

"Thank you to all those who have reported debris along our coastline, the clean-up operation will continue over the coming days."

Chief Coastguard Paddy O'Callaghan said: "The Solong and Stena Immaculate remain stable with salvage operations continuing.

"The counter-pollution retrieval operation remains ongoing, with HM Coastguard and other specialist counter-pollution assets continuing to assist this response. This includes supporting local authorities who are leading the onshore response in both Norfolk and Lincolnshire.

"Aerial surveillance flights continue to monitor both vessels and the retrieval operation.

"As the incident has now moved into the recovery phase, HM Coastguard has downgraded the assessment of the situation and no longer considers this to constitute a major incident. HM Coastguard will however continue to support the salvage and multi-agency retrieval operations while keeping the overall situation under review."

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust said: "Nurdles are small plastic pellets, which may have burnt together into larger masses. Unfortunately, the risks posed by nurdles increase when other pollutants become stuck to them.

"We urge members of the public to avoid touching them if seen as they may have toxic pollutants stuck to them."

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