The Chinese Ministry of Transports informed that the country is still attempting to clean up 1,900 tonnes of bunker fuel from the Iranian oil tanker, Sanchi, that sank after it collided with a freight ship.
The leaked bunker fuel is toxic for the marine environment and difficult to be removed. However, its removal is vital, as otherwise the damage of the marine environment will be significant, Reuters reports.
In the efforts for the oil clean up, five Chinese vessels, one Japanese ship and one South Korean are taking part, in an area that covers 226 sq nautical miles, while in the same time, efforts continue regarding what caused the accident.
In the latest update, the Japanese Coast Guard warned the oil spill may have reached its coast. Namely, oil has been noticed in the shores of the island of Amami-Oshima, Reuters informed. Japanese authorities are now investigating if the oil came from the Iranian tanker.
The ‘Sanchi’, operated by National Iranian Tanker Co, was sailing from Iran to South Korea, carrying 136,000 tonnes of condensate, when it collided with the ‘CF Crystal’, about 160 nautical miles off the coast, near Shanghai and the mouth of the Yangtze River Delta, and went ablaze in 6 January. After being on fire for more than a week, it suffered two explosions which led the vessel to sink.
The ship was carrying a total of 32 crew members, 30 Iranian and 2 Bangladeshi nationals, all of whom were reported missing. One body was recovered soon after the tragedy and brought to Shanghai for identification, while another two bodies were recovered by rescue teams on 13 January.