Monday Update: Iranian Tanker at Risk of Exploding as Rescue Crews Wrestle to Tame Fire

By Meng Meng and Josephine Mason BEIJING, Jan 7 (Reuters) – A tanker carrying Iranian oil and run by the nation’s prime oil delivery operator was ablaze and spewing cargo into the East China Sea on Sunday after colliding with a Chinese bulk ship, leaving its 32 crew members lacking, the Chinese authorities stated.

Thick clouds of darkish smoke might be seen billowing out of the Sanchi tanker <c}ks7309492494>, engulfing the vessel as rescue efforts have been hampered by dangerous climate and hearth on and across the ship, Mohammad Rastad, head of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organisation, instructed Iranian tv.</c}ks7309492494>

The Sanchi collided with the CF Crystal <c}bo7309522955> about 160 nautical miles off the coast close to Shanghai and the mouth of the Yangtze River Delta on Saturday night, the Chinese Ministry of Transportation stated in a press release.</c}bo7309522955>

The Panama-registered tanker was crusing from Iran to South Korea, carrying 136,000 tonnes of condensate, an extremely gentle crude. That is equal to simply beneath 1 million barrels, value about $60 million, primarily based on world crude oil costs.

“Sanchi is floating and burning as of now,” the ministry stated. “There is an oil slick and we are pushing forward with rescue efforts.”

State media CCTV confirmed footage of the tanker ablaze and billowing plumes of thick darkish smoke.

It had despatched 4 rescue ships and three cleansing boats to the positioning by 9 a.m. (0100 GMT) on Sunday, it added.

South Korea additionally despatched a ship and helicopter to assist. A Korean Coast Guard official confirmed the tanker was nonetheless raging at 1 p.m. (0500 GMT). He declined to be recognized as he was not authorised to talk to the media.

The tanker’s 32 crew members have been all Iranian nationals besides for 2 Bangladeshi nationals, the Chinese transport ministry stated.

“There is a wide perimeter of flames around the vessel because of the spillage and search and rescue efforts are being carried out with difficulty,” Rastad stated.

“Unfortunately, up to this moment, there is no news of the crew,” he stated.

CF Crystal’s 21 crew members, all Chinese nationals, have been rescued and the ship suffered “non-critical” harm, China’s transport ministry stated.

It was not instantly clear how a lot environmental harm had been prompted or the quantity of oil spilled into the ocean.

The final main oil tanker catastrophe was the sinking of the Prestige off Spain in November 2002, which prompted one in all Europe’s worst environmental catastrophes.

About 63,000 tonnes of gas oil leaked into the Atlantic, damaging seashores in France, Spain and Portugal and forcing the closure of Spain’s richest fishing grounds.

MAJOR MARITIME INCIDENT

The incident additionally marked the primary main maritime incident involving an Iranian tanker for the reason that lifting of worldwide sanctions on Iran in January 2016.

There was a collision involving an NITC-operated supertanker within the Singapore Strait in August 2016, however there was no lack of life or air pollution.

The Chinese authorities gave no particulars of the dimensions of the spill. The Foreign Ministry stated in a separate assertion that the reason for the incident was beneath investigation.

Reuters ship monitoring information reveals Sanchi was in-built 2008 and was managed by the National Iranian Tanker Co (NITC). Its registered proprietor is Bright Shipping Ltd.

It was resulting from arrive at Daesan in South Korea from Kharg Island in Iran on Sunday, in accordance with Reuters ship monitoring.

The Sanchi tanker, leased by Hanwha Total Petrochemical Co Ltd, had “valid foreign insurance”, Iranian oil ministry spokesman Kasra Nouri instructed Iran’s state tv.

Hanwha Total was not instantly obtainable for remark.

Sanchi collided with CF Crystal, registered in Hong Kong, which was carrying 64,000 tonnes of grain from the United States to China’s southern province of Guangdong, the federal government stated.

CF Crystal, which was in-built 2011, was resulting from arrive in China on Jan. 10, in accordance with Reuters ship monitoring information.

(Reporting by Meng Meng and Josephine Mason; Additional reporting from Yuna Park and Jane Chung in SEOUL, Jonathan Saul in LONDON and Dubai Newsroom; Editing by Himani Sarkar/ Clarence Fernandez/Susan Fenton)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2018.