Minister pledges to uncover causes of Heathrow and North Sea incidents

Heidi Alexander has paid tribute to crews who responded to the North Sea ship collision earlier this month and a power outage which shut down Heathrow Airport last week.

The Transport Secretary said at the despatch box that “no stone should be left unturned identifying the causes of the incidents”.

She told the Commons on Wednesday: “I’d like to put on record my thanks to all those involved in responding to the major incidents we have seen unfold on land and sea in recent weeks.

“The collisions of vessels in the North Sea and the fire at the electricity substation serving Heathrow have caused disruption and distress.

“I’m pleased that recovery has been swift and I am clear that no stone should be left unturned in identifying the causes of the incidents, nor in learning lessons for the future.”

More than 270,000 air passenger journeys were disrupted by Heathrow Airport’s closure last week, when the London hub suffered a power outage after a fire at a nearby electricity substation.

Ms Alexander revealed earlier this week that Heathrow had asked former Labour transport secretary Ruth Kelly to review the airport’s “internal resilience”.

On March 10, the Solong collided with the anchored tanker Stena Immaculate about 12 miles off the coast of East Yorkshire, leaving one man missing, presumed dead.

Plastic pellets, called nurdles, have been found on beaches in Norfolk and Lincolnshire following the collision.