A cargo ship hit a tanker carrying jet fuel off the coast of eastern England Monday, setting both vessels on fire and triggering a major rescue operation, emergency services said.

At least 32 people were brought ashore, but their condition was not immediately clear. The operator of the tanker said all of its crew members were safe.

The U.S.-flagged chemical and oil products tanker MV Stena Immaculate was at anchor near the port of Grimsby Monday morning after sailing from Greece, according to ship-tracking site VesselFinder. The cargo vessel, Portugal-flagged container ship Solong, was sailing from Grangemouth in Scotland to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

U.S.-based Crowley Ship Management, which operates the Stena Immaculate, said the tanker «sustained a ruptured cargo tank containing Jet-A1 fuel,» when the container ship struck it, triggering a fire and «multiple explosions onboard,» with fuel released into the sea.

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It said all the mariners on the tanker were safe and accounted for.

Martyn Boyers, chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East, said 13 casualties were brought in on a Windcat 33 high-speed vessel, followed by another 19 on a harbor pilot boat.

Britain’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency said several lifeboats and a coast guard rescue helicopter were dispatched to the scene in the North Sea, along with a coast guard plane.

The site of the collision is off the coast of Hull, about 155 miles north of London.

Coast guards said the alarm was raised at 9:48 a.m. (0948 GMT). Humber Coast Guard made a radio broadcast asking vessels with firefighting equipment and those who could help with search and rescue to head to the scene.

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Screenshot of a map showing the moment the container ship collided with the chemical tanker. (Reuters)

The RNLI lifeboat agency said «there were reports that a number of people had abandoned the vessels following a collision and there were fires on both ships.» It said three lifeboats were working on search and rescue at the scene alongside the coast guard.

Video footage aired by the BBC and apparently filmed from a nearby vessel showed thick black smoke pouring from both ships.

Boyers, the port chief, said he had been told there was «a massive fireball.»

«It’s too far out for us to see – about 10 miles – but we have seen the vessels bringing them in,» he said. «They must have sent a mayday out. Luckily there was a crew transfer vessel out there already. Since then, there has been a flotilla of ambulances to pick up anyone they can find.»

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Ambulances leaving the port after a ship collided with a tanker. (Reuters)

U.K. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was being kept up to date on the developing situation.

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«I want to thank all emergency service workers involved for their continued efforts in responding to the incident,» she said.

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte made an unannounced visit to Hong Kong on Sunday, leading to questions about whether he is attempting to evade a possible arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court over his extrajudicial killings amid his war on drugs during his time in office.

Duterte, 79, and his daughter — incumbent Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte — were the main speakers at a campaign rally at the Southorn Stadium in the busy Wan Chai commercial district in Hong Kong for the senatorial candidates of his political party, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino, ahead of the May 12 midterm elections in the Philippines.

In his speech, Duterte addressed reports about the ICC possibly issuing a warrant for his arrest, reiterating previous comments that he was prepared to be jailed if his arrest is ordered.

«If that’s my fate, that’s fine. I will accept it. We can’t do anything if I’m arrested or imprisoned,» he said in front of a crowd of Filipino supporters.

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Former President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte speaks inside the Southorn Stadium during a gathering organized by Hong Kong-based Filipino workers for the former populist president in Hong Kong on Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP)

The ICC has been investigating the large number of killings by police and gunmen under Duterte’s crackdown against illegal drugs during his tenure as president from 2016-2022. Thousands of people, most of whom were poor, were left dead as he sought to carry out his war on drugs.

Duterte, while in office, also prosecuted a journalist for coverage that scrutinized the government’s killings.

The former populist president has denied he authorized extrajudicial killings. However, he openly and repeatedly threatened to kill suspected drug dealers during his time in office.

«What was my sin?» Duterte asked in his speech in Hong Kong. «I did everything in my time, so Filipinos can have a little peace and tranquility.»

He jokingly told the crowd to make small contributions for the construction of his monument, which he said should show him holding a gun.

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Former President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte speaks inside the Southorn Stadium during a gathering organized by Hong Kong-based Filipino workers for the former populist president in Hong Kong on Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP)

A senior Philippine official said the former president was scheduled to fly back on Tuesday to Manila, the capital of the Philippines, but another senior official said he could extend his stay in Hong Kong.

Current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration is prepared to handle any situation stemming from an ICC arrest warrant, the president’s communications secretary, Jay Ruiz, said.

«We’ve heard that an arrest warrant has been issued by the International Criminal Court against former President Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity,» Ruiz said in a statement. «The government is prepared for any eventuality.»

In the southern city of Davao, Duterte’s home region, police bolstered security at the international airport and will monitor new checkpoints. Philippine police told reporters the move was part of an effort to ensure law enforcement would be able to handle any contingencies.

Duterte had held office in Davao, previously serving as mayor, vice mayor and member of the House of Representatives. He was also chair of the Davao City Liberal Party from 2009-2015.

Former President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte speaks inside the Southorn Stadium during a gathering organized by Hong Kong-based Filipino workers for the former populist president in Hong Kong on Sunday, March 9, 2025. (AP)

Marcos Jr. has said that Philippine law enforcement agencies would be required to fully cooperate if the ICC seeks Duterte’s arrest.

The ICC was created in 2002 to serve as a court of last resort for the most serious international crimes, including genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression. The ICC becomes involved when countries are unable or unwilling to prosecute crimes within their borders.

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About 125 countries have signed the court’s foundational treaty, the Rome Statute. But China, which controls Hong Kong, has not signed on.

Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the ICC in 2019, which activists argued was an attempt to evade accountability and prevent an international investigation into the government-authorized killings. However, the ICC still maintains jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed when the country was a member, so Duterte could still be held accountable for possible crimes committed in the first half of his presidency.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

EXCLUSIVE: Growing up under Soviet rule, Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė was not allowed to celebrate Christmas. Her mother was born in a Siberian prison camp. 

The crime?

Her teenage brother was caught handing out leaflets that said, «Lithuania is free.» After 50 years of Soviet occupation during the Cold War, many Lithuanians today are wary of any negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and are watching the Kremlin’s next moves closely.

«In my opinion, the only efficient diplomacy with Russia was what Al Capone said, the only good negotiation is when you have a gun on the table. So that’s probably the kind of diplomacy that would work with Russia,» Šakalienė warned during an interview at the Lithuanian Embassy in Washington Friday.

When asked if Putin could be trusted, the 46-year-old defense minister, who once lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as an exchange student, replied, «Are you kidding me? After what was done to my family and by Russia for generations, I don’t think you would find any Lithuanian who could trust Vladimir Putin.»

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is now more than three years old. Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has engaged in direct talks with Russia to end the war.

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Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė sat down for an interview with Fox News and discussed Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Reuters Photos | Fox News)

«Historically, Russia has never ever kept an agreement,» Šakalienė said.» Our only hope is that the tough and harsh approach by President Donald Trump may be the only safeguard keeping Putin in check. So let’s hope that happens.»

Located in Eastern Europe with a population of 2.8 million in an area roughly the size of West Virginia, Lithuania cannot afford to ignore Russia. It shares a 184-mile border with Russia (Kaliningrad) as well as a 420-mile border with Belarus, which she says is «now just a platform for the Russian army.»

She said, «They are trying to frighten us. They are trying to make us feel insecure,» about the Russian forces next door.

Lithuania is ramping up defense spending as a result of Russia launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and plans to exceed Trump’s demand that NATO allies spend 5% of GDP on defense. Šakalienė said her country hopes to reach 6% by next year. The U.S. currently spends 3.4%.

Last month, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also urged NATO allies to ramp up defense spending. «The United States will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship which encourages dependency,» he warned at NATO headquarters in Brussels on his first overseas trip.

As a NATO defense minister, Šakalienė was there in Brussels. She applauded Hegseth’s remarks, calling them an «ice-cold bucket of water.»

Russian President Putin giving a speech in Moscow. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)

«I saw the faces of my colleagues. A lot of shock, a lot of stress,» she said. «Nobody in the room mentioned 2% [of GDP] which is so redundant, irrelevant, inadequate. It’s gone. It’s old news.»

When asked why Western Europe has been lagging on defense spending years after Russia seized 20% of Ukraine, Šakalienė replied, «I think that a very large part of the democratic world got caught up in this illusion of an idealistic world, which has never existed.»

She said part of the illusion was believing wars are over. Russia never thought this way, she explained.

«The non-democratic part of the world has not changed. They are actually playing by their rules. So if they are not playing by our rules, our blindness is what put us in this dangerous position.»

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Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands at the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Tatarstan Republic, Russia. (Contributor/Getty Images)

Šakalienė is the only NATO defense minister sanctioned by China. When asked about Beijing’s motives in supporting Russia, her answer might surprise some people.

«Russia is able to boost its military production so efficiently because China is feeding it,» she said.  «It is useful for China to have this war of exhaustion, and also it is useful for China, even though it supplies Russia, to see Russia also lose a lot of its soldiers – a lot of its weapons and equipment – because a weaker Russia is more convenient to China.»

Despite heavy battlefield losses in Ukraine over the past three years, Russia is building an army of 1.5 million soldiers, according to Šakalienė, who warned Putin has «more imperial expansion plans in his hand.»

When Fox News sat down at the Lithuanian Embassy on Friday, Trump was trying to secure a mineral rights agreement with Ukraine and eventually hopes to seek a ceasefire agreement with Russia.

«If Russia violates the ceasefire, the response must be immediate and violent,» Šakalienė urged.

When asked for her reaction to a report that Trump is considering not defending NATO allies who do not spend enough on defense, Šakalienė applauded the harsh rhetoric from Trump, calling it «painful» but justified. «Everyone needs to contribute, burden sharing is the main rule if you really want to have a strong alliance.»

She pointed to the Baltic States and Poland as leading NATO members in defense spending as a percentage of GDP.

Last year, the European Union, which Lithuania is a member, spent more on Russian oil and gas than aid to Ukraine. Šakalienė said her country was «the first one to cut off» Russian oil and gas. «We were even supporting our neighbors, Latvians and Polish with energy supplies. So for us, being independent of Russian energy is a matter of life and death.»

Lithuania’s first LNG terminal was aptly named «Independence,» according to Frank Fannon, who served in Trump’s first term as assistant secretary of state for energy resources.

When Fox News sat down at the embassy, Lithuania had just announced it would be withdrawing from the convention on cluster munitions, an international agreement by more than 100 nations prohibiting cluster bombs. Šakalienė explained why Lithuania is pulling out.

«We want to be ready to use anything and everything necessary to protect our borders. We don’t want Russians to come to our homes again. We want to send a strategic message, a very clear message, that we will do anything to protect ourselves.»  

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Minister of Defense of the Republic of Lithuania Dovilė Šakalienė at a press conference. (Jörg Carstensen/picture alliance via Getty Images)

Lithuania, along with other European nations, also wants to withdraw from another treaty soon known as the Ottawa Convention, which bans anti-personnel land mines.

«This is a terrible weapon, just like cluster munitions, but the Russians are using the weapons, including forbidden weapons. So we want to send the message back,» she said.

In addition to Russia, China and the United States are also not parties to the agreement. In 2014, the United States announced it would abide by the Ottawa Convention, except for the landmines already deployed on the Korean Peninsula.

Šakalienė, a deeply devout Christian, said Russia is not only attacking Ukraine, but the Christian faith as well.

«It was Soviet Russia that tried to annihilate the church in Ukraine, in Lithuania, in Poland. They have now sort of revived their Christianity and are using it for KGB infiltration, for FSB infiltration, she said. «This is a betrayal.»

She continued, «When we see how churches in Ukraine are being bombed, being robbed…the Christian community in Ukraine is being murdered and their beautiful heritage is being destroyed.»

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The Lithuanian defense minister ended the interview with a final warning.

«We tend to try to diminish our enemies. This is a mistake. You have to see them for what they are.»