Nicolas Tamic is deputy director and head of operations at Cedre, France's marine pollution response authority. He discusses the collision, on Monday, March 10, between an oil tanker and a cargo ship, in the North Sea, 16 km off the British city of Hull, in Yorkshire.

It's difficult to say, because we haven't been approached by the British authorities, and we don't have access to the quantities of kerosene spilled at sea. It all depends on the quantities that reach the coast. We could be faced with flash pollution, with major ecotoxicity for the environment in the short term, but not in the long term, as this is not a persistent product.

The tanker was carrying "Jet A1," an aircraft fuel whose special feature is that it is a refined product, lighter than petroleum. It has a high evaporation rate, of the order of 40-45%. Not everything that is burned will be discharged into the sea. That's the good news. The bad news is that it's more toxic. Even if it doesn't reach the coast, it will dissolve in the water and could have an impact on fish. Depending on the quantities spilled, the authorities could prohibit fishing until the pollution subsides.

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