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Scientists fear a major collision between a cargo ship and a fuel tanker in the UK’s North Sea could cause a huge leak of toxic chemicals into delicate marine habitats, with potentially devastating consequences for local wildlife.

A tanker called Stena Immaculate was moored off the coast of Hull, carrying 18,000 tonnes of jet fuel, when it was struck by the container ship Solong on 10 March. Ernst Russ, the owner of the Solong cargo ship, said in a statement that both vessels sustained “significant damage”. Huge fires spewing clouds of black smoke immediately broke out on the ships. One crew member from the Solong is still reported missing.

Early reports suggested the Solong was carrying containers of highly toxic sodium cyanide, but Ernst Russ said on 11 March that there was no sodium cynanide on board. “There are four empty containers that have previously contained the hazardous chemical and these containers will continue to be monitored,” the company said in a statement. Both ships were carrying tanks of bunker fuel to power their journeys.

“We are extremely concerned about the multiple toxic hazards these chemicals could pose to marine life,” at Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter, UK, said in a statement.

The crash happened in waters that are home to internationally significant populations of breeding seabirds, such as gannets, kittiwakes and puffins. Harbour porpoises and grey seals breed nearby, and the location is also on migration routes for wading birds and waterfowl.

“Chemical pollution resulting from incidents of this kind can directly impact birds, and it can also have long-lasting effects on the marine food webs that support them,” said at the University of Sheffield, UK, in a statement. “We have to hope that any spills can be quickly contained and pollution minimised.”

Crowley, the US-based firm managing the Stena Immaculate, that jet fuel has leaked into the North Sea from a ruptured cargo tank. Jet fuel is made of light hydrocarbons and will therefore evaporate relatively quickly, potentially limiting its environmental impact.

But the release of bunker fuel will have longer-lasting effects, said at the University of Reading, UK, in a statement. “Marine diesel can smother habitats and wildlife, affecting their ability to regulate body temperature, potentially resulting in death,” he said. “The environmental toll could be severe.”

Johnston called on UK authorities to take urgent action to contain the release of toxic substances from the ships. “We must hope an environmental disaster can be averted,” he said.

The UK government said it was working closely with the coastguard service to support the response to the incident. Speaking in the UK’s Parliament on 10 March, , a minister in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said she was “shocked and concerned” at the news of the collision. She said work was under way to assess the scale and impact of any pollution from the collision.