It was reported on 19 July that a crane seemed to have collapsed on a ship at a dock on the south bank of the River Tyne, resulting in a man having to be taken to hospital. According to North East Ambulance Service, the victim was taken to the Royal Victoria hospital in Newcastle, where his injuries were said to not be life-threatening.
Northumbria Police reported that they had responded to a call to go to Port of Tyne in South Shields at 13:00 BST after “it was reported that, for reasons yet to be established, a ship had collided with a crane”.
A spokesperson for Northumbria Police commented: “Just after 13:00 today, we received a report of concern for the safety of a person at the Port of Tyne in South Shields.
“It was reported that, for reasons yet to be established, a ship had collided with a crane.
Plastic pellets in the River Tyne
Three days later more of the story emerged as it was reported that the accident had caused a ‘devastating spill’ resulting in approximately a billion tiny plastic pellets entering the River Tyne while the pellets were “thought to have spread much further than first thought”.
The pellets are known as nurdles, act as the raw material to manufacture most plastic products and are usually about 1mm-5mm in size, .
It was also noted that “on Sunday, the Wind Orca ship collided with the berthed container ship BG Orange at the Port of Tyne, causing damage to a dockside crane and injuring one person.
“The collision caused up to 25 tonnes of nurdles – about a billion in total, according to environmental charity Fidra – to enter the water, said South Tyneside council”.
Warning from South Tyneside Council
The sheer scale of the environmental disaster was reinforced by a report on 21 July that South Tyneside Council had warned visitors to beaches in their borough to keep dogs on leads and to be careful as millions of plastic pellets washed up on North East beaches.
A spokesperson for South Tyneside Council said that they were working alongside the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Port of Tyne, the Environment Agency and other partner organisations and that “the public are advised to avoid handling the pellets and keep dogs on leads. Our priority is protecting the coastline and supporting the coordinated response being led by the relevant agencies and those responsible for the incident.
“Council teams are monitoring affected locations and are supporting any clean-up activity undertaken by specialist contractors. We will continue to keep residents informed as information becomes available.”
Visitors to beaches in the area such as Littlehaven were also warned not to touch the nurdles.
Environmental disaster
This is a serious environmental disaster at the mouth of the Tyne and another reminder of how we are often causing our own problems by putting the natural environment at risk. The accident has caused a number of serious problems, not least to the man who was injured and had to go to the RVI in Newcastle.
In terms of dealing with the problem, the story also emphasises how important the work of organisations such as the Environmental Agency and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency really is. It is to be hoped that they will continue to be funded appropriately along with other vital public services.
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