As a recent allision between a U.S.-flagged oil/product tanker and a Portuguese container ship in the North Sea keeps reverberating across the maritime industry, many conspiracy theories are making the rounds. With this in mind, multiple players are keen on getting to the bottom of the incident, including the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), which has taken the lead on the official investigation into the root cause of the collision.

The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency was notified on Monday, March 11, 2025, about a collision between a tanker and cargo vessel off the coast of East Yorkshire, which resulted in fires aboard both vessels. As a result, 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 firefighting capability.