One year on from this major incident, we take a look at the impacts of the major nurdle spill that occurred in the North Sea in March 2025. Have the lessons been learned and is enough being done to clean up, prepare for and prevent nurdle spills in the UK.
A large mass of burnt nurdles, Norfolk March 2025 Image Credit: Fidra
Learn more about the North Sea spill in out latest case study
Disaster in the North Sea
Two ships collided in the North Sea, 13 miles off the east coast of England on the morning of the 10th March 2025. The container ship Solong struck the tanker Stena Immaculate, breaching a cargo tank and causing aviation fuel to spill and ignite, triggering a major fire which spread across the two ships and resulted in the tragic death of one of the crew. An emergency services operation was launched to prevent loss of life and environmental impacts. Among the cargo of the Solong were at least 13 containers of nurdles; small plastic pellets approximately the size of a lentil, that form the starting material used to make almost all plastic products.
Once in the environment, nurdles pose a serious threat to wildlife and communities. Animals such as birds and fish can mistake nurdles for food, introducing microplastics and harmful chemicals into the food chain, while potentially leading to organ damage and starvation. Overtime nurdles can adsorb and release harmful chemicals and smaller plastic fragments into the environment. Nurdle pollution also affects local livelihoods, impacting industries such as tourism and fishing, as seen following spills in Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, India and Spain.
The response to the spill
Within days of the collision, nurdles were spotted on the sea surface and began washing up on the coastlines of Lincolnshire and Norfolk. Some nurdles had melted into burnt clumps due to the fire, while others were individual pellets. The internationally important conservation area known as The Wash was particularly impacted, an area home to diverse wildlife.
A quick response to nurdle spills is crucial to limit spread and impacts. Response teams used boats and nets to retrieve nurdles at sea, on the shore teams combed the beaches collecting nurdle clumps, while specialists brought in bespoke equipment to remove individual nurdles. Some stakeholders reported good inter-stakeholder cooperation and co-ordination under difficult circumstances during the response. However, there were challenges for the responders both on land and at sea, while each tide brought more nurdles onto the beach, including those beaches which had already been cleaned.
By 1st April 2025, over 10,000kg of plastic had been recovered, but large quantities of nurdles remain in the environment. A few weeks after the collision, the official clean-up ended, leaving local organisations and volunteers to deliver ongoing clean-up. The decision to transition to volunteer clean-up was received with frustration from some members of the local community, as well as concern over long-term environmental damage and accountability. It should not be the public’s responsibility to clean up pollution from the plastic industry.
Local volunteer , Lianne Havell, Sutton on Sea Beachcare says she is “…concerned about the contents it's leaving on our beaches and how fast the authorities gave up.”
A clump of burnt nurdles, Norfolk March 2025 Image Credit: Fidra
One year on — the pollution remains
A year after the collision, nurdles are still being reported on beaches along the east coast of England by volunteers. This highlights how long-lasting nurdle pollution is, and why prevention and preparation is crucial. The North Sea spill is not an isolated incident, just two months later the container ship MSC Elsa 3, sank off the coast of Kerala, India, releasing billions of nurdles into the environment and affecting protected areas and beaches as far away as Sri Lanka; a nation who themselves continue to suffer impacts from the devastating X-Press Pearl disaster in 2021, which released over 1,600 tonnes of pellets into the environment.
Nurdles cover a beach following sinking of MSC Elsa 3, India (2025) Image Credit: Ajay Madhu
What needs to change to prevent nurdle pollution?
The UK has some of the worst nurdle pollution in the world, with nurdle pollution reported in 168 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and 6 national parks. Despite this, the UK currently lacks dedicated nurdle spill response plans and prevention measures. Response plans exist for oil spills, but when a nurdle spills occurs, those involved are left without guidance. Without action to prevent pellet loss and prepare for spills, this will continue to occur into the future.
Important steps toward preventing nurdle pollution in the European Union took place in October 2025, with the European Parliament approving new regulations which will require mandatory pellet loss prevention measures to be implemented at every stage of the pellet supply chain including maritime transport, with the aim of ‘zero pellet loss’. Though some loopholes remain, this regulation represents an important step forward in the preventing nurdle loss across the supply chain and sets a precedent that prevention is necessary and mandatory.
While plans are needed to respond effectively in the event of a spill incident, preventing nurdle pollution in the first place across the pellet supply chain is essential to address this major source of microplastic pollution. Research has shown that 95% of nurdle pollution is preventable with effective regulation. As an OSPAR signatory (and international cooperation agreement for the North Atlantic) and British Irish Council member, the UK has committed to preventing nurdle loss pollution. Through developing national regulation which requires the independent certification of pellet loss prevention measures across the supply chain the UK can take important steps to prevent nurdle pollution in the UK.
The UK can also advocate and show leadership in international efforts to prevent pellet pollution, by supporting a robust UN Global Plastics Treaty and supporting measures at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to prevent nurdle loss during maritime transportation.
UK action is needed
The tragic incident which took place in the North Sea vividly illustrates the risk of nurdle spills impacting the UK. It is crucial that dedicated nurdle spill response plans are developed and implemented, to minimise the environmental and community impacts, in the event of a nurdle spill on land or sea. Fundamental to addressing the issue of nurdle pollution is preventing nurdle loss from supply chain sources in the first place. The UK can take legislative action to address ongoing sources of nurdle pollution and should ensure there are effective response plans based on the learnings of the North Sea incident before the next spills occurs.
Learn more about the North Sea spill in out latest case study