A crane is used to unload coal from a cargo ship at the Deendayal Port in Kandla, in the western state of Gujarat, India, Sept. 25, 2024. Reuters-Yonhap

An oil tanker and a cargo ship collided off the coast of eastern England Monday and a major rescue operation is underway, Britain's coast guard said.

Several lifeboats and a coast guard rescue helicopter were dispatched to the scene in the North Sea, along with a coast guard plane and nearby vessels with fire-fighting capability.

The BBC reported that the oil tanker is on fire. 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 Maritime and Coastguard Agency said the alarm was raised at 9:48 a.m. (0948 GMT). The site of the collision is off the coast of Hull, about 155 miles (250 kilometers) north of London. (AP)