Ship Collision Spills Up to a Billion Plastic Pellets Into the River Tyne

On 19 July 2026, the vessel Wind Orca collided with the berthed BG Orange at the Port of Tyne, releasing up to 25 tonnes of plastic nurdles — roughly a billion pellets — into the River Tyne. Pellets have washed up on South Shields beach and spread toward Sunderland, seven miles south. The spill site lies under three miles from Marsden Bay, home to one of England's most important seabird colonies. Nurdles absorb toxins and are nearly impossible to remove once in the marine environment.