Environmental organisations and the UK authorities are assessing how damaging the collision of an oil tanker and a cargo ship in the North Sea will be for marine species and nearby wildlife populations.
It’s still too early to tell whether it will have a major impact, and weather conditions in coming days will be a major factor.
But a lot will depend on exactly which toxic chemicals have been spilled and how much of them.
The fact that this time of year is a breeding season for some marine life and that many birds are gathering for nesting makes the environmental impact of this even more devastating.