It is dubbed the “Lobster Capital of Europe”, with around 3,000 tonnes of the crustaceans landing there every year.
Skipper owner Neil Robson knows just how much the East Yorkshire seaside town of Bridlington relies on its shellfish trade having fished out of the area all his life and his family-business, Genesis Fishing Ltd, now catching crab and lobster for the UK and international markets.
The 63-year-old was on board his boat Genesis on Monday when a message came over the radio of a major collision involving a cargo ship and oil tanker in the North Sea.
On Monday, the US-flagged oil tanker MV Stena Immaculate collided with the Portuguese cargo ship MV Solong. The crash started a huge fire about 10 miles off the coast of the busy Hull port and fishing centre.
“There was a lot of panic and worry,” Mr Robson told The Independent. "When you hear something like this has happened you fear the worst. You worry for those out there at sea and hope they got out safe.
"You then worry that we are a facing a situation where we are all going to be looking for new jobs.”
One of Mr Robson’s fishing boats, Our Helena, was out on the North Sea when the collision happened.
“Our Helena was one of the first on scene as it was about a mile-and-a-half away fishing when the crash happened,” Mr Robson said. "The crew onboard could see it all.
"They went to try and help with the rescue, they just wanted to make sure everyone on board was safe."
The full crew of 23 on the Immaculate have since been accounted for, as one sailor was treated at the scene.
Thirteen of the 14 sailors of the Solong are also accounted for.Search and rescue operations for the one missing sailor continued throughout Monday, but were called off yesterday evening.
A 59-year-old man, later confirmed by the Solong’s owners to be its captain, has since been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter in connection with the collision.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the fire on the Stena Immaculate appeared to have been extinguished, however the Solong continued to burn, transport minister Mike Kane said.
The Transport secretary said on Tuesday that the Solong was now expected to stay afloat, after previous concerns that the vessel would sink.
On Tuesday, Our Helena remained hoisted out of the water for a thorough clean after being brought back to Bridlington Harbour.
Mr Robson said the picture appeared “a lot better” than first feared.
He told The Independent: "It has turned out to be a lot better than we thought with the chemical situation. With is being aviation fuel, it will evaporate. We are fortunate because of the wind direction as well.
"At the moment there is a five mile evacuation zone around the collision site, so not sure when we will be allowed back out, but we are hoping it will be tomorrow.
"The mood has changed today and despite what has happened the outlook doesn’t look as bad as first feared."
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