One of the firms involved in the huge ship crash that caused an estimated billion plastic pellets to spill into the River Tyne has admitted that clean-up efforts have “not met community expectations”.
Huge numbers of plastic nurdles have been washing up on the North East coastline after the collision between the vessel Wind Orca and berthed container ship BG Orange at the Port of Tyne on 19 July.
Local authority teams and volunteers have since been trying to clear the pellets from nearby beaches, amid serious concerns about the long-term environmental impact of the disaster.
North East mayor Kim McGuinness last week wrote to the two companies involved in the incident, Cadeler and BG Freight Line, demanding that they foot the bill for a “long and expensive” clean-up and take swifter action to deal with what she called “the worst incident of nurdle pollution in Europe”.
Cadeler chief executive Mikkel Gleerup, whose offshore wind firm owns the Wind Orca, replied to the Labour mayor on Saturday and confirmed that specialist pollution response contractors are now being deployed to “step up” the operation.
In a letter seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Gleerup acknowledged that “time is of the essence”.
He said: “From the moment Cadeler became aware of the nurdle spill, my team’s priority has been to ensure an effective response. The specialist pollution response is being coordinated through the owners and insurers of the BG Orange, with whom Cadeler and our own insurers are in direct contact.
“We are advised that BG Orange took immediate steps, following the incident, to minimise further nurdles entering the water, and that they have subsequently appointed Solis Marine as spill managers, with Briggs Marine engaged as clean-up contractors. In addition, we understand that the Port of Tyne has engaged Ambipar. Briggs and Ambipar are experienced specialist pollution response contractors and well placed to determine the mobilisation of personnel and equipment as they continue to step up containment and clean-up operations.
“We are also mindful of, and deeply appreciate, the efforts of the Recovery Working Group established by the North and South Tyneside, Sunderland, Newcastle City and Gateshead Councils, Environment Agency, MCA, Northumbria Police, Port of Tyne and the UK Health Security Agency, as well as the efforts of the various environmental organisations and volunteers who have been working hard to protect the North East’s coastline and wildlife.
“I recognise that the pace of the initial mobilisation of specialist contractors has not met community expectations. Cadeler shares the view that time is of the essence, and we are pleased to see that significant specialist resources are now deployed. We remain engaged with those leading the response and committed to supporting a coordinated effort to minimise the impact on the environment and local communities.”
The Port of Tyne erected a floating barrier around the BG Orange last week to help prevent further spills and has dispatched several boats onto the river to clear pellets.
In her letter to Cadeler, McGuinness said the shipping firms involved in the collision had a “moral duty to do the right thing by the North East”.
The mayor said this week: “It’s crucial that the shipping firms responsible for spilling plastic nurdle pollution on our precious beaches pay for the clean up. I wrote to them last week to make sure they do, particularly in the light of the huge volunteer and council operation already underway. They now have dedicated contractors working on the clean up and they’ve admitted they need to move faster.
“This is a great start but I’ll continue to hold them to that and push to make sure they continue with this until the clean up is complete. Huge thanks to everyone out there working to restore the beaches we are so very proud of back to normal.”
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