Evidence is being gathered and next steps are being determined following the collision of the two vessels in the North Sea, marine inspectors say.

A spokesperson for the Marine Accident Investigation Branch says it has deployed a team to Grimsby following this morning's collision of the container ship Solong and the oil tanker Stena Immaculate.

"Our team of inspectors and support staff are gathering evidence and undertaking a preliminary assessment of the accident to determine our next steps," it adds.

Hull City Council leader Mike Ross says there is a "major operation" in the North Sea as the incident continues, which he says appears to be "devastating".

Speaking to BBC News, he has been contacted by several people locally who are "very concerned".

It's a "terrible incident" in terms of people involved and the potential impact on the coast, Ross explains.

"There's a lot to unpack."

The Humber is known to be "one of the most dangerous estuaries in the world," he says, and the North Sea has its "own challenges".

They need to know how this happened so it can be avoided in the future, Ross adds.

The potential environmental impact is a concern too, and he says over the coming days there needs to be work taking place "very quickly" to understand the impact.

The UK Coastguard says it is assessing the "likely" counter-pollution response that could be required following the North Sea collision.

"The incident remains ongoing and an assessment of the likely counter pollution response required is being enacted," a UK Coastguard spokesperson says, as the incident of the east coast of England continues.

We're hearing now from Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander.

"I'm concerned to hear of the collision between two vessels in the North Sea this morning and am liaising with officials and HM Coastguard as the situation develops," she says.

"I want to thank all emergency service workers involved for their continued efforts in responding to the incident."

We're seeing images now of people arriving on shore at the Port of Grimsby.

What are the risks to the marine environment?published at 14:00 Greenwich Mean Time

14:00 GMT

Esme Stallard
Climate and science reporter

We currently don't know what the oil tanker in the incident was carrying. But oil spills into the sea have the potential to have significant impacts for marine life, and have been responsible for the some of the worst environmental disasters in the UK.

The SS Torrey Canyon ran aground in Cornwall in 1967 which led to more than 100,000 tonnes of crude oil being spilt into the English Channel, killing thousands of sea birds.

The size of the spill, weather and sea conditions, and the type of oil being carried play a big role in the outcomes for wildlife. In the case of the SS Torrey Canyon it was carrying a "persistent oil" - which as well as crude oil includes refined oils like marine diesel.

Persistent oils break up more slowly and can smother habitats and wildlife affecting their ability to regulate their body temperature and can result in death.

In comparison, "non persistent" or "light oils" like kerosene evaporate very quickly, so don't tend to hang around for a long time in the environment.

But they can still pose a significant short-term risk to wildlife. Firstly they can ignite or explode - and we have seen video of the boat billowing smoke from a fire which may suggest it is carrying such a fuel.

Secondly, some light oils like diesel are toxic, which means they will kill animals that come into contact with them and their fumes are harmful to humans, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

How did the incident unfold?published at 13:54 Greenwich Mean Time

13:54 GMT

By Joshua Cheetham

The data from the ship tracking site MarineTraffic seems to clearly indicate that one ship was moving and one nearly stationary when the collision happened.

The Stena Immaculate had travelled from the Greek port of Agioi Theodoroi, and was drifting at a speed of 0.1 knots at 09:48 GMT.

The Solong approached from the north at a speed of 16 knots, while en route from the Scottish port of Grangemouth to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands.

It’s still unclear what caused the collision.

Jonathan Josephs
Business reporter

I’ve just spoken to the chief executive of Stena Bulk, Erik Hanell, who confirms that all the crew of the oil tanker the MV Stena Immaculate are accounted for and safe.

He told me that was more than 20 people.

Stena Bulk jointly own the ship with their US partner Crowley, who operate it.

He also said that it was too early to speculate on the cause of the collision in the North Sea.

We're expecting another update shortly.

More now from the chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East. Martyn Boyers says that he was told a "massive fireball" was seen after the collision, but adds that the ships are too far away from shore to see.

He adds: "We have seen the vessels bringing" the casualties in from the ships.

"They must have sent a mayday out - luckily there was a crew transfer vessel out there already.

"Since then there has been a flotilla of ambulances to pick up anyone they can find."

The condition of the casualties isn't clear yet.

We're now hearing that 32 people have been brought to shore, according the chief executive of the Post of Grimsby, Martyn Boyers.

Their condition is not yet known.

We're hearing now that more than 20 casualties have been brought ashore in Grimsby following the collision between two vessels off the East Yorkshire coast, a port boss has said.

According to the chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East, some crew members have yet to be accounted for.

The Stena Immaculate

According to the website Marine Traffic, which tracks details about shipping vessels, the Stena Immaculate is a 183-metre-long (600 feet) US-flagged oil and chemical tanker.

The tanker had departed from a Greek port in the Aegean Sea and was destined for Hull, the site says. The ship was constructed in 2017, according to the website Martime Optima.

The Solong

The Solong is a Portuguese-flagged container vessel. It was built in 2005, according to Marine Optima, and has capacity to carry 9,500 tonnes of cargo.

It was destined for Rotterdam, according to the Marine Traffic site. It measures 140.6m (461 feet) long.

Jonathan Josephs
BBC business reporter

The oil tanker involved in the collision, MV Stena Immaculate, was en route from Agioi Theodoroi in Greece to Killingholme in the UK.

It is managed by US logistics firm Crowley and owned by Sweden's Stena Sphere which is controlled by the billionaire Olsson family.

This type of complex arrangement is quite typical in the global shipping industry.

However, unusually, this is one of just 10 oil tankers enlisted in a US government programme which is designed to supply the armed forces with fuel during times of armed conflict or national emergency.

It means they can be called upon by the US military at short notice but there's no indication that it was being used for these purposes when this accident happened.

What can trackers tell us?published at 13:00 Greenwich Mean Time

13:00 GMT

By Joshua Cheetham

Details about how the collision happened are still unclear. But with online tracking tools, we can still build a picture of what happened before, and how rescue efforts are unfolding.

According to ship tracking site MarineTraffic, the Stena Immaculate had travelled from the Greek port of Agioi Theodoroi, and was anchored outside Hull.

The Solong, meanwhile, had been sailing from the Scottish port of Grangemouth to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands.

It appears to have collided with the Stena Immaculate at around 9:48 GMT.

A coastguard helicopter has been circling the area, according to FlightRadar24. Several offshore vessels have also been congregating around both ships.

The tanker involved in the incident is believed to the US-flagged Stena Immaculate, based on MarineTraffic data.

On the tracking site, we can see the Immaculate at anchor and at 9:48 we can see the Solong - a Portuguese-flagged container - appear to be colliding with the tanker.

The collision between the two vessels took place off the coast of East Yorkshire, near Hull. Take a look at the map below to see where it happened:

We can now bring you the video that was sent to the BBC, appearing to show smoke coming out of the oil tanker in the North Sea.

A number of people have reportedly abandoned the ships following the collision, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) says in its latest statement, adding that there are reports of fires on both vessels.

Two separate sources familiar with the situation earlier told the BBC that the oil tanker was on fire.

As we've been reporting, search and rescue teams from across the region have been deployed to respond to the incident.

Now, the RNLI says teams from Cleethorpes have been stood down, while Bridlington, Mablethorpe and Skegness crews continue to support rescue efforts.

This grab from a video that was sent to the BBC appears to show large clouds of smoke billowing out from the oil tanker in the North Sea.

We're just processing the video and will bring it to you shortly.

We can see a lot of activity around the area where the collision has taken place, off the coast of East Yorkshire, using global shipping site MarineTraffic's data.

Take a look at the image below:

Image source, MarineTraffic