Global compensation fund not available to cover pollution from North Sea tanker explosion

Access to the global fund that pays compensation for oil spills is not available for the North Sea collision because of the nature of the cargo, officials have confirmed.

The 49,700-dwt tanker Stena Immaculate (built 2017) was hit by the 804-teu container ship Solong (built 2005) on Monday spilling jet fuel into the water.

The International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds pays out if costs breach the shipowners’ limitation of liability — but only if the cargo is “persistent” oil, which does not apply to jet fuel.