Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey and Hull Council Leader Mike Ross have today called for “the polluters to pay” for any clean up of the North Sea following this week’s ship collision, as well as for an emergency summit in Yorkshire so civic leaders and the public can be made aware of any security and environmental risks.
This follows the collision on Monday of two ships in the North Sea near East Yorkshire. The full extent of the sea pollution and damage is unclear at the moment, but environmental charities including the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust have expressed serious concern about the likely impacts.
Cllr Mike Ross added that “the people of East Yorkshire need to know if there are any security risks” following the news that the captain of the Solong container ship is a Russian national. Cllr Ross had previously asked for COBRA to meet on Tuesday.
On a visit to a wildlife reserve on the Humber estuary with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, Ed Davey and Cllr Mike Ross will also set out that they would support the civilian authorities calling for military assistance for the clean up if necessary.
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:
It is vital that it is the polluters who pay for any clean up of the North Sea and our precious coastline. The agencies involved have done an absolutely amazing job. They shouldn’t be left to foot the bill from already overstretched budgets, and nor should ordinary taxpayers.
The people of East Yorkshire deserve to know that the Government is doing everything in its power to protect our coastlines, our wildlife and our communities.
Leader of Hull Council, Cllr Mike Ross, added:
We need real action now, and a Minister on the ground. The people of East Yorkshire need to know if there are any security risks too.
Like many others, I am deeply concerned by the impact this disaster may have on our coastal communities and in the Humber estuary -— that’s why I called for COBRA to be convened. I will continue to urge government to act with the same urgency and commitment as the emergency services and agencies on the ground.
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6 Comments
The collision in the North Sea was an act of war. The captain of the ship which was at fault is Russian and his crew mostly so too. It is an example of ‘maskirovka’, or masking, at which the Russian armed forces have always been adept.
@Mark Frankel
“The collision in the North Sea was an act of war.”
Can you prove that?
I don’t dispute the Solong captain’s responsibility for ensuring that proper lookout procedures were in force on the ship.
But there were reports in the media of the ship having previously failed safety checks e.g. https://hellorayo.co.uk/absolute-radio/uk/news/solong-failed-safety-checks-before-crash-off-east-yorkshire-coast/
Negligence – yes. But deliberate inaction? Prove it please.
The Russian term маскировка, maskirovka literally means masking. An early military meaning was camouflage, soon extended to battlefield masking using smoke and other methods of screening. From there it came to have the broader meaning of military deception, widening to include denial and deception
>” Negligence – yes. But deliberate inaction? Prove it please.”
I remember reading a book some years back about the Spanish civil war, that touched on this. The prison had an “unreliable” water boiler, so it was just unfortunate when prisoners got a cold shower, not torture…
So Mark may have a point, just that proving deliberate intent will be a challenge….
“just that proving deliberate intent will be a challenge….”
Exactly – which was why I raised the issue.
Has Mark Frankel had a leak from the Security Services, or does he have some sort of well informed crystal ball ? No tell, Mark