Marine animals near the collision site risk inhaling poisonous fumes and choking on oil, campaigners have warned. There are fears the crash between an oil tanker carrying jet fuel and a cargo ship occurred in or near two protected areas.

Hugo Tagholm, executive director of Oceana UK, said: “This tragic event shows once again that spills occur everywhere Big Oil goes, be it drilling the ocean floor or transporting fossil fuels around the world. We are now seeing toxic oil pouring from the 183 metre-long tanker into  - or very near - a sensitive area designated to protect declining harbour porpoises. As these animals are forced to come to the surface to breathe, they risk inhaling poisonous fumes and choking on oil.

“Even after this pollution has been dispersed, the tragedy will continue to play out; eight years after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, for instance, bottlenose dolphins in the area still showed signs of lung disease.

“Local livelihoods could well be threatened in the North East, since oil contamination can impact commercial fish populations, along with the shellfish industry, in addition to the potential impacts on human health.”

The Southern North Sea marine protected area (MPA) is designated for harbour porpoise while the Holderness offshore MPA is protected for its seafloor habitats.

This is also a key habitat for breeding seal colonies and several seabirds.

Greenpeace UK both the high speed of the collision and the footage of the aftermath are cause for great concern.

A spokesman added: “Right now, our thoughts are with all those affected by the incident and the emergency services responding to the situation.

“At this stage, it’s too early to assess the extent of any environmental damage. But the magnitude of any impact will depend on a number of factors, including the amount and type of oil carried by the tanker, the fuel carried by both ships, and how much of that, if any, has entered the water.

“Sea and weather conditions will also be important in determining how any spill behaves.

“In the case of an oil spill or any loss of hazardous cargo from the container ship involved, the speed of the response will also be crucial in limiting any impact.”

Meanwhile Mark Sephton, professor of organic geochemistry at Imperial College London, said the fact that it is jet fuel is “significant”.

He added: “Jet fuel is dominated by relatively small hydrocarbons, compared to the more diverse and sometimes larger organic structures found in crude oil. Smaller hydrocarbons are very attractive to bacteria who will degrade them more quickly than larger molecules - called ‘biodegradation’.

“The fact that we are moving into warmer temperatures will also speed up biodegradation rates. In the end it all depends on the rate of introduction of fuel and the rate of destruction by bacteria. Let’s hope the latter wins out.”