The oil tanker crew are ‘safe and accounted for’ after the North Sea collision that resulted in a huge fire
This morning (10 March), plenty of Brits got the news that a collision involving two ships had occurred off the coast of the UK.
Rescue crews were scrambled to the area to help stricken sailors, and a mayday call from the coastguard asked for vessels with firefighting equipment to get in touch.
Large amounts of smoke could be seen for miles around and reports warned that there had been explosions and a fire as a result of the collision between an oil tanker and a container ship, off of the east cost of England close to Hull.
Here’s everything we know about the disaster:
Everyone on board the two vessels have been returned safely to shore (Bartek Smialek/PA Wire)
What exactly happened
At around 9.48am this morning (10 March), the US-flagged oil tanker Stena Immaculate was involved in a collision with the Portuguese-flagged container ship Solong.
This incident took place in the North Sea, just off the coast of the UK and a little to the east of Hull.
The tanker had set off from Agioi Theodoroi in Greece and had been heading for the port of Killingholme in the UK, and had been anchored off the British coast when it was struck.
The Solong had set off from Grangemouth in Scotland and had been on course for the Dutch port of Rotterdam.
Rescue attempts were launched and witnesses saw ‘explosions’ from the oil tanker as well as smoke billowing out of the ship.
It has been reported by the BBC that the Stena Immaculate was carrying cargo and fuel for the US Department of Defense.
According to gCaptain, a ‘senior US official at the White House’ told them that foul play had not been ruled out in the incident.
LADbible has contacted the White House for comment.
The incident occurred near Hull (PA Wire/Marine Traffic/Vessel Finder)
The cause of the explosion
According to the maritime firm Crowley, which manages the oil tanker Stena Immaculate, the explosion was caused by an ‘allision’ which ruptured a cargo tank containing jet fuel which resulted in a fire.
For reference, ‘allision’ refers to a maritime accident where a ship hits a stationary object, whereas a ‘collision’ is two moving objects hitting each other, and the tanker had appeared to be stationary and anchored at the time of the disaster.
Crowley said: “The Stena Immaculate sustained a ruptured cargo tank containing Jet-Al fuel due to the allision.
“A fire occurred as a result of the allision, and fuel was reported released. The Stena Immaculate crew abandoned the vessel following multiple explosions onboard.
“All Crowley mariners are safe and fully accounted for.
“Crowley immediately initiated its emergency vessel response plan and is actively working with public agencies to contain the fire and secure the vessel.
“Our first priority is the safety of the people and environment. We will provide more updates as information becomes available.”
The oil tanker Stena Immaculate was damaged by explosions after a cargo tank containing jet fuel was ruptured (Bartek Smialek/PA Wire)
Statements from government officials
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has released a statement on the situation, saying: “We thank the emergency services for their rapid response. I understand the Department for Transport is working closely with the coastguard to help support the response to the incident.
“We’re obviously monitoring the situation, we’ll continue to co-ordinate the response and we’re grateful to emergency personnel for their continued efforts.”
Officials on Downing Street have said details of the cause of the collision were ‘still becoming clear’ and remained an ‘extremely concerning situation’, though refused to comment on a potential cause of the collision.
It was also reported that the Stena Immaculate was carrying cargo and fuel for the US Department of Defense.
Officials said: “The collision and ensuing explosions will not impact operations or combat readiness. We do not have a single point of failure.”
Rescue attempts
The coastguard were on the scene quickly after the disaster with vessels and aircraft moving in to rescue stricken sailors who had abandoned ship.
A spokesperson for the RNLI said that four of their crews had been called out, one of which was later stood down while the remaining three continued to help in search and rescue efforts.
An initial batch of 13 people were rescued and brought ashore, with subsequent groups of 10 and nine sailors also returned to the safety of dry land.
Everyone involved in the disaster has now been taken ashore, with a total of 36 people taken to Grimsby’s North Quay.
Despite previous claims from Conservative MP Graham Stuart, East Midlands Ambulance Service say that nobody was taken to hospital.
BREAKING: Major maritime disaster off the coast of Hull, England after a collision between a cargo ship and an oil tanker. The fire can be seen from miles away
Environmental impacts
While all of the people on board the two ships may be present and accounted for, HM Coastguard said it was assessing the ecological damage to the area after the explosions on board the oil tanker.
It said: “HM Coastguard is currently co-ordinating the emergency response to reports of a collision between a tanker and cargo vessel off the coast of East Yorkshire resulting in fires aboard both vessels. The alarm was raised at 9.48am.
“A coastguard rescue helicopter from Humberside was called, alongside lifeboats from Skegness, Bridlington, Maplethorpe and Cleethorpes, an HM Coastguard fixed wing aircraft and nearby vessels with fire-fighting capability.
“The incident remains ongoing and an assessment of the likely counter pollution response required is being enacted.”
Environment Minister Baroness Hayman of Ullock said she was ‘extremely shocked and concerned’ about the incident and said the environmental concerns were an ’emerging picture’.
She said: “We are speaking very closely in DEFRA (the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) to the Department for Transport and Maritime and Coastguard Agency, who are leading the Government response on this and who are at the moment assessing the situation.”
Additional words from Joshua Nair
Featured Image Credit: @Tessaronnews/Twitter
Topics: Environment, News, UK News, US News, Travel
Joe Harker
Everything we know about GTA 6 after Rockstar dropped trailer
It looks incredible
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 12 hours or so, you’ll have no doubt seen the trailer for GTA 6 by now.
After being leaked online, Rockstar was forced to release the long-awaited teaser itself. Check it out, if you haven’t already:
Today (5 December) was meant to be the day fans would finally get to see what lies in store for them in the next instalment of the long-running series.
However, after the trailer was shared by an unknown source late yesterday evening (4 December), Rockstar took the decision to lean into it, releasing the full trailer on its YouTube channel a few minutes later.
Since then, it’s fair to say that the initial reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, but what do we know about it?
Where is it set?
This will come as little surprise to most of us, but the new game will see us return to Vice City for the first time in over 20 years.
The iconic 2002 release is one of the best in the series, and boasted an all-star case, with Ray Liotta voicing protagonist Tommy Vercetti.
The new map, however, looks much more detailed – obviously – with more places to explore and much more lifelike background characters.
Rockstar Games
While Vice City was originally based on Florida, with Miami the clear inspiration back in the day, Rockstar has confirmed the name of the game’s fictional state is Leonida, which is a nice new detail.
Storyline
We’ve not had anything official from Rockstar on this, but by the looks of the trailer, gamers will play as two characters – much like GTA 5 – called Lucia and a male lead rumoured to be named Jason.
Billed as a Bonnie and Clyde kind of relationship, the pair go to town in Vice City, shown robbing a store at one point in the trailer.
According to reports, an alleged Rockstar employee previously leaked some info about the plot, telling Adin Ross that Lucia has a baby she abandons at a deli en route to a bank robbery.
Rockstar Games
I guess we’ll have to wait and see what other bits of info the developer drip feeds us over the coming months, though.
When will it be released?
Well, with the trailer landing just before Christmas, I think most of us hoped that it would finally hit the shelves in a few months – maybe the summer at the latest.
But sadly, gamers have got a little while yet until they can finally get involved, with GTA 6 due out in 2025, according to the trailer.
Much more immersive than previous games
Every evolution of the GTA world takes huge leaps forward in terms of design, nods to the current zeitgeist, and general quality of play, and number six is no different.
Eagle-eyed gamers spotted a number of features that make the new game stand out from the rest:
Limits to gameplay
As many pointed out after Rockstar released its poster art, it looks like Lucia’s ankle is actually tagged, hinting at her criminal past.
Rockstar Games
This suggests she – you – might struggle to access other parts of the map, at least in the early stages.
Social media
Sites inspired by the likes of Instagram and TikTok will also seemingly play a big part, with hints in the trailer that viral footage of fake social media accounts will be used a fair bit.
Does this mean there might also be the potential for characters to possibly share their own clips and follow other accounts?
News
The trailer suggests rolling 24-hour news channels will cover everything that happens in the city, as it unfolds, maybe adding another angle to missions and all-round storyline, potentially?
Rockstar Games
Weazel News – inspired by Fox – mocks the Florida Man meme with one of its stories about a ‘Leonida man’ who got sucked into a water spout.
Body cam footage
If another clip is to be believed, then gamers will also be able to view scenes through police bodycam footage as they carry out busts.
READ MORE:
GTA 6 TRAILER DEMOLISHES MR BEAST RECORD
GTA 6 FANS THINK THEY KNOW WHO VOICES LEAD CHARACTER
Characters inspired by real life
As ever, Rockstar have borrowed from real life, and sometimes the truth really is stranger than fiction.
Take ‘Florida Joker’ – real name Lawrence Sullivan – who bizarrely makes an appearance… or at least someone who looks an awful lot like him.
Rockstar Games
Sullivan’s mugshot hit the headlines for his distinctive face art, and seems to have been used to model one one of the game’s character.
And the old lady seen holding two claw hammers in an Instagram live appears to be based on the viral video of the irate Los Angeles woman who went after her neighbours in a similar fashion, smashing up a car a few years back.
But maybe it’s just a coincidence, eh?
Rockstar Games
What platforms will it be available on?
In terms of initial reports and announcements, when the game is finally released in 2025, it will be available on Xbox Series X and S, and PlayStation 5.
However, as yet, there’s been no mention of PC compatibility, so we’ll have to wait on that.
Price
This one was always going to hurt, wasn’t it, so we’ve left it till last.
Now, we’ve not heard anything concrete from Rockstar, so you should probably take this with a grain of salt, but it’s rumoured GTA 6 will set gamers back somewhere in the region of $150 (£120).
So you better get saving.
Featured Image Credit: Rockstar Games
Topics: GTA, US News, PlayStation 5, Xbox
Dominic Smithers
‘World’s most infected island’ full of human skulls is located less than a mile off UK coast
Dead Man’s Island has a truly haunting past
Not even Brits are aware that their country is home to what’s being called the ‘world’s most infected island’.
There happens to be an area located near the town of Queenborough, Kent, that’s got a truly haunting past.
Dead Man’s Island gained the horrific moniker after the remains of more than 200 humans were found there in 2016.
Dead Man’s Island is located in the Swale Estuary near the town of Queenborough, Kent (YouTube/Dara Tah)
These remains are said to be those of convicts who died on prison hulks, which were decommissioned ships used to house prisoners back in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The conditions on these hulks were seriously rough, from overcrowding, to disease and poor sanitation, leading to many deaths.
And after the convicts died, their bodies were buried in unmarked graves on the likes of Dead Man’s Island.
YouTuber Dara Tah shared his experience on the island (YouTube/Dara Tah)
However, as the years have gone by, erosion and tidal movements have exposed these graves, revealing bones and other remains scattered across the island’s muddy surface.
While Dead Man’s Island is uninhabited, it happens to be owned by Natural England, a non-public body in the UK, sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Over a month ago, YouTuber Dara Tah uploaded a video on his channel (@DaraTah), giving us a glimpse of the eerie grounds covered in bones and quicksand.
A truly frightening sight (YouTube/Dara Tah)
“I spent the night on the island full of human skeletons,” he explained.
“I have visited Dead Man’s Island once before. It is a small marsh island in the south of England that was used as a mass dumping ground for possibly thousands of skeletons infected with the Black Plague but this time we’re spending the night.
“I found out about an area on the island called Coffin Bay which is almost always submerged underwater but during this time of year there is a small window to find it and search it.
“Since it’s so incredibly tough to access this area it’s thought to be packed with historical artefacts that have washed up and been exposed with the coffins.
“Our window was at midnight, meaning we would be stranded on the island for the night as the tide went out and surrounded the island in a deep quicksand.”
In the clip, he shows viewers 500 plus year-old coffins and bones, along with old bottles and belongings.
Despite the harrowing surroundings, the island also happens to be a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) as a nesting and breeding site for birds.
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Dara Tah
Anish Vij
Everything we know about Hawk Tuah Girl crypto scam allegations as she speaks out for first time in weeks
Haliey Welch has been in hot water since her crypto coin went bust
Haliey Welch, aka the Hawk Tuah Girl, has opened up for the first time since her cryptocurrency crashed and cost people a significant amount amount of money.
Welch, who became a viral meme last year for her infamous ‘You gotta give ’em that ‘hawk tuah’ and spit on that thing!’ line, has been in hot water since she launched her $Hawk coin, which drastically gained in popularity right up until it crashed.
She kept her silence on social media since she first addressed the scandal after claims that her coin was a scam surfaced by unhappy investors.
With so much information swirling around about the meme coin, let’s get into everything that we know so far.
The Hawk Tuah video has been watched by millions (YouTube/Tim and Dee TV)
Who is Haliey Welch, the Hawk Tuah girl?
The 21-year-old has only recently found fame after becoming an overnight sensation with her ‘hawk tuah’ joke while being randomly interviewed on a night out for a YouTube channel.
Welch, who comes from Belfast, Tennessee in the US, has been grabbing all of the opportunities presented to her and those things have come hard and fast after her viral video.
Since the now-viral YouTube video saw her reach fame of crazy heights, she has quit her day job, sang on stage with country music star Zach Bryan, started a merch line and even launched a podcast.
She soon amassed an enormous following because of her stance regarding male pleasure.
Haliey Welch is now a celebrity in her own right thanks to the viral moment (Instagram/@hay_welch)
What is the $Hawk coin?
Welch’s digital coin originally hit a $490 million market cap after launching on 4 December, before it suddenly plummeted and lost 95 percent of its value within hours.
This led to some people, including YouTube cryptocurrency investigator Coffeezilla, to accuse Welch of using a ‘pump and dump’ scam.
This is where the coin gets hyped up before its launch so that the coin would boost its price, and then sell it for profit and it plummets. However, Welch’s team blamed so-called ‘snipers’ for the loss of value.
Snipers are bots who buy tokens immediately after a launch and then they sell up when prices spike, causing it to lose its value.
Investors of the $HAWK coin ended up filing a lawsuit against the coin’s creators, which accused overHere Ltd., its founder, Clinton So, Tuah The Moon Foundation and social media influencer Alex Larson Schultz of promoting and selling cryptocurrency unlawfully which was never properly registered with the SEC.
The suit was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, and does not name Welch as a defendant, as per NBC News.
The $Hawk coin caused major losses (Chesnot/Getty Images)
What has the reaction been to the suit?
Burwick PLLC and law firm Wolf Popper LLC, said that $HAWK’s token ‘surged’ to $491 million after launching, but its ‘meteoric rise was short-lived, as the $HAWK token’s value plummeted by over 90% within hours, dropping below $100 million.’
The first said via a press release: “This extreme volatility left many investors, particularly first-time cryptocurrency investors drawn in by Haliey Welch’s involvement, facing significant financial losses.”
Many have felt scammed and angered about the losses, and even blame Welch for a lot of it.
Welch has now spoken out (Instagram/@hay_welch)
What has Welch said about the crypto controversy?
The social media star issued a statement on X in December, explaining how she is taking the situation ‘extremely seriously’ and is ‘cooperating with the legal team representing the individuals impacted’, as well as ‘to help uncover the truth, hold the responsible parties accountable, and resolve this matter’.
Welch then went off the radar, but she is now back with her podcast Talk Tuah, as an episode with FaZe Clan’s founder Banks has been ‘leaked’.
Welch explained how she got involved with the coin, stating that it was supposed to be a ‘long-term coin’ that would ‘change the way everybody thinks about crypto’.
“And I feel really bad for all the people that got affected by it,” Welch said. “And it just didn’t go the way I planned.”
In the clip, she said the ‘biggest mistake’ was trusting the guy who was a ‘friend of a friend’.
“I probably should have looked into him a little bit more,” Welch explained.
I take this situation extremely seriously and want to address my fans, the investors who have been affected, and the broader community. I am fully cooperating with and am committed to assisting the legal team representing the individuals impacted, as well as to help uncover the…
She went on to say that the guy was ‘little bit weird’ on the day of the launch and this actually made her ‘suspicious’ of him.
She’s also cooperating with police to rectify this situation.
Banks has since hit out following the leak of the podcast episode, slamming Welch’s team for ‘fumbling the bag yet again’ as the episode was leaded as he said: “These were nonstarters and we were told this episode would only ever see the light of day if we explicitly green lit it.”
Banks then told Welch to ‘fire everybody’ and he added: “Poor girl, it’s a wonder how she found herself in this position in the first place.”
LADbible Group previously contacted Welch’s reps for comment.
Featured Image Credit: X
Topics: Cryptocurrency, Hawk Tuah girl, Social Media, US News
Britt Jones
Criminologist explains the main reason people in the UK kill and how we can reduce serial murder
It takes just a second to end a life, and a lifetime to regret it
A criminologist has explained the main reason why Brits commit murder, and it’s far removed from being a serial killer.
Professor David Wilson recently sat down with LADbible for an episode of Honesty Box to answer your questions about crime and criminology.
As he was answering the pressing questions people had, he spoke about the most common way Brits are murdered.
“Think of it as being on a continuum,” Professor Wilson said.
“At one end we’ve got serial murder, that’s the extreme end, at the other end we’ve got a typical murder.”
Rather than being murdered by a serial killer, the criminologist explained that Brits were far more likely to be killed in ‘five minutes of madness’.
“The most common murder that will take place in Britain is a young man falling out with a young man on a Friday or Saturday night when that young man feels he isn’t being given the respect he deserves,” the criminologist explained.
“When he feels that and he’s in the company of his friends, or indeed the friends of the person he feels has disrespected him, and he’s been drinking too much or using other kinds of substances, he wants to lash out.
“He wants to regain a sense of who he is in that five minutes of madness, he might not set out to kill but he certainly is setting out to physically harm the person he believes has disrespected him. That is a typical murder in this country.”
Professor Wilson went on to say that it was ‘appalling that two women a week are murdered in this country by their partners or ex partners’ and said ‘misogyny’ was the cause of that, but that ‘seven out of 10 murder victims in the UK are men’ and ‘nine out of 10 perpetrators are men’.
The criminologist said murder was largely ‘a male phenomenon’, with seven in 10 victims and nine in 10 perpetrators being male. (YouTube/LADbible Stories)
“This is a male phenomenon and this is about men owning that phenomenon, and it’s about men in my generation talking to younger men about how to perform masculinity.
“Which is something men are very reluctant to do and we leave that discussion to social media influencers like the Tate brothers and all that does is store up further problems for us in the future.
“But the main reason people commit murder in this country is because in five minutes of madness a young man will lash out at another young man he feels has disrespected him.”
This was quite different to the reasons why serial killers committed murder, with Professor Wilson explaining that serial killers would ‘exercise a godlike power’ where they got to decide who lived and died.
He added that a common thing linking serial killers was targeting specific groups of people.
He explained that here lay a potential way to reduce instances of serial murder in the UK, saying: “People are always obsessed by something in the biology of the individual serial killer. What’s more interesting is who it is they’re able to kill.
Professor David Wilson explained that the most likely way a Brit would kill someone. (YouTube/LADbible Stories)
“If we look at those victim groups we’re much more likely to reduce the incidents of serial murder.
“Serial killers in our culture have only targeted five groups of people. Four of those groups serial killers will target in the UK are dominated by women and girls. There’s one group of men that by and large gets targeted by serial killers, that’s gay men.
“The two groups of women and girls that are most regularly targeted by serial killers are women over the age of 60 and sex workers.
“If you really wanted to reduce the incidence of serial murder in our culture you would challenge homophobia, have a grown up debate about how you police those young women and some young men who sell sexual service, and above all we would start trying to give a voice to older people in our culture as opposed to seeing them as a burden on the state.”
Perhaps by focusing on protecting the people most likely to be targeted by serial killers lives could be saved.
Featured Image Credit: LADbible
