Giant oil spill poses major marine risk near China

Chinese ships are racing to clean up a giant oil spill that poses a major risk to marine life after an Iranian tanker sank in the East China Sea.

The 46 square mile oil slick is thought to be made up of heavy fuel that was used to power the vessel.

The Sanchi tanker sunk on Sunday. Just three bodies from the tanker Sanchi’s crew of 32, composed of 30 Iranians and two Bangladeshis, have been recovered.

The vessel was carrying 136,000 tonnes of ultra-light crude oil from Iran that generates a toxic underwater slick that would be invisible from the surface.

The cause of the 6 January collision between the Sanchi and the Chinese freighter CF Crystal, which happened 160 miles east of Shanghai, remains unclear.