<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>An oil tanker and a cargo </span><a href="http://9news.com.au/ship" rel="" target="" title="ship"><span>ship</span></a><span> have </span><a href="http://9news.com.au/crashes" rel="" target="" title="collided"><span>collided</span></a><span> off the coast of eastern </span><a href="http://9news.com.au/england" rel="" target="" title="England"><span>England</span></a><span>, setting both vessels on fire and triggering a major rescue operation, emergency services said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency said several lifeboats and a coast guard rescue helicopter were dispatched to the scene in the North Sea on Monday, along with a coast guard plane and nearby vessels with firefighting capability.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The RNLI life boat agency said "there were reports that a number of people had abandoned the vessels following a collision and there were fires on both ships".</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/extropical-cyclone-alfred-water-rescues-on-sunshine-coast-gold-coast-brisbane-and-ipswich/5f7f580d-52b0-4ffa-b72d-562f4495e25d"><strong><span>'I could punch him in the face': Dad trapped in flood calls daughter in distress</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It said three lifeboats were working on search and rescue at the scene alongside the coast guard.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The tanker, believed to be the U.S.-flagged chemical and oil products carrier MV Stena Immaculate, was at anchor at the time, according to ship-tracking site Vessel Finder. The cargo vessel, container ship Solong, was sailing from Grangemouth in Scotland to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Coast guards said the alarm was raised at 9.48am (8.48pm AEDT). </span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/north-sea-collision-oil-tanker-and-cargo-ship-collide-rescue-operation-launched/725580ad-c109-45e3-8090-7112d883d550" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The site of the collision is off the coast of Hull, about 250 kilometres north of London.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><span>More to come.</span></em></div></div>