Tonnes of plastic cleared after North Sea crash

About 11 tonnes of pellets have been cleared from beaches in Lincolnshire, officials said

About 11 tonnes of plastic pellets, washed up after a crash involving two ships in the North Sea, have been cleared from Lincolnshire's beaches, officials said.

Tiny plastic pellets, known as nurdles, washed up after the Solong cargo ship struck the Stena Immaculate oil tanker off the coast of East Yorkshire on 10 March, triggering fires and a rescue operation that saved 36 crew from both vessels.

Nurdles are balls of plastic resin used in plastics production. They are not toxic but can present a risk to wildlife if ingested, according to HM Coastguard.

Lincolnshire County Council said the clean-up operation had so far focused on the worst affected areas.

Nurdles were found along the beach in Skegness, including near Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve

The county council said the nurdles were first spotted in Lincolnshire on 17 March, with the clean-up involving a team from East Lindsey District Council.

So far, about 24,250lbs, 11,000kg, of waste had been recovered with the operation continuing as more "pollutants" continued to wash up, a spokesperson said.

The recovered nurdles have been transferred to the county council's waste transfer station in Louth, they added.

The nurdles washed up after the Solong cargo ship (right) struck the Stena Immaculate oil tanker

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

Although the pellets are non-toxic, Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust said they may have burnt together into larger masses, increasing the risk of other pollutants becoming stuck to them.

People are advised not to touch them and to report any sightings to North Norfolk District Council, which is coordinating nurdle reports for the whole of the east coast.

The Portuguese-flagged Solong has since been towed to Aberdeen for damage assessment.

One crew member, Filipino national Mark Angelo Pernia, 38, is missing and presumed dead.

The ship's Russian captain, Vladimir Motin, 59, has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter and is due to stand trial at the Old Bailey on 12 January 2026.

The US-registered tanker Stena Immaculate is due to be towed to Newcastle in early April after its cargo of jet fuel has been transferred to another ship.

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