Shipping company taking South Tyneside nurdles spillage ‘incredibly seriously’
Ship companies are “committed to acting responsibly” as the River Tyne nurdle clean up continues.
The owners of the ship carrying the nurdles which spilled into the River Tyne has told the Gazette it is “committed to acting responsibly” as efforts to continue to clean up the mess continue.
Berthed container ship, BG Orange, collided with offshore support vessel Wind Orca on July 19, spilling around 17 tonnes of the tiny plastic pellets from two containers.
The nurdles have since washed up on North-East’s sands, some as far away as 30 miles south and with unwanted consequences for wildlife and the environment.
BG Orange is operated by BG Freight Line, which is “a full subsidiary of the Peel Ports Group” based in Liverpool.
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness has said she “won’t let up on pressing the insurers for the BG Orange container ship to make sure the polluter pays”.
A BG Freight Line spokesperson told the Gazette: “Following the incident in which the Wind Orca came into contact with BG Orange, we were naturally concerned by reports about plastic pellets reaching beaches along the North East coastline.
“The environmental response continues to be led by the relevant authorities and organisations.
“While BG Freight Line is not leading that response, we take all environmental matters incredibly seriously and at the time instructed a specialist environmental consultant to attend the site and provide practical support to those coordinating the clean-up.
“We are always committed to acting responsibly and continue to support the relevant authorities and organisations managing the response to this incident.”
The Gazette has also been in touch with Cadeler, operators of the Wind Orca.
They told us: “Cadeler shares the deep concern felt by those impacted by this incident and recognises the potential environmental impact of the nurdles that have dispersed north and south of the Tyne estuary.
“We continue to engage with all relevant stakeholders leading the specialist pollution response and are committed to supporting a coordinated approach to minimise the impact on the environment and local communities.”