Blazing tanker could explode

Environmental disaster looms after massive fire follows cargo ship collision

AN Iranian oil tanker ablaze off China’s east coast was at risk of exploding or sinking yesterday as fears grew for 32 missing sailors amid warnings of a potential environmental disaster.

The huge fire was still raging around the stricken vessel, which had been carrying 136 000 tons of light crude oil, 36 hours after it collided with a cargo ship.

China’s English-language state broadcaster CGTN later posted a video on Twitter showing the fire seemingly under control as a second vessel sprayed it with water.

Earlier, the transport ministry said rescuers trying to locate the crew of 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis were being beaten back by toxic clouds.

Rescuers had recovered one unidentified body yesterday afternoon, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.

“Conditions are not that favourable for search-and-rescue work,” he said.

The body was found about 5km from the tanker and could not be easily identified even though the victim was wearing a fire safety vest, Alireza Irvash, from Iran’s consulate in Shanghai, said.

The accident happened on Saturday evening, 160 nautical miles east of the city.

The tanker, operated by Iran’s Glory Shipping, was heading to South Korea when it collided with a Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship, the CF Crystal, carrying 64 000 tons of grain.

Ten government vessels and many fishing ships were helping with the ongoing rescue and clean up effort, the transport ministry said.

A South Korean coastguard ship was also on the scene.

As Chinese authorities raced to contain the ship’s leaking oil, experts expressed fears the accident could create an environmental disaster.

Greenpeace said it was concerned about the potential environmental damage that could be caused by the one million barrels of crude oil on board.

If all of the Sanchi’s cargo spills, it would be the biggest oil slick from a ship for decades.

By comparison, the Odyssey dumped 132 000 tons about 700 nautical miles off Canada’s Nova Scotia in 1988, according to figures from the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation website.

“It’s possible this will kill off marine life across a wide area,” Wei Xianghua, an environmental expert at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, said.

Even under a best-case scenario, it would take a long time for the area to get back to normal, Wei said.

“The only thing to be done is make the best effort to not allow the oil to spread to other places.”

China had two vessels working to contain the spill, the transport ministry said.

Iran’s petroleum ministry said the tanker belonged to the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) and was delivering its cargo to South Korea’s Hanwha Total.

The ship and its cargo were insured.

It was the second accident in less than two years involving a tanker owned by the NITC.

In August 2016, an Iranian supertanker and a container ship collided in the Singapore Strait, causing damage to both vessels but no injuries or pollution.

Saturday’s collision was the latest in a series of fatal maritime accidents in East Asia in recent years.

In October, 13 crew on a Chinese fishing boat were killed after their vessel collided with a Hong Kong oil tanker off Japan’s west coast.

US Navy vessels have also been involved in some accidents, including a collision between the USS John S McCain and a tanker off Singapore last August that killed 10 sailors. – AFP