The oil tanker Sanchi was carrying a type of ultra-light old called condensate.[UPDATE - 10:36am, Wednesday, January 10]
An oil tanker is still burning and in danger of explosion after an accident with another ship off China’s eastern coast. The body of one of its crew members has been recovered and rescuers from three different countries are still trying to find the tanker’s remaining crew of 31.
The collision happened on Saturday when the Panama-registered tanker Sanchi, sailing from South korea to Iran, collided with the Hong Kong-registered freighter, CF Crystal. All 21 members of the Crystal’s crew have been rescued.
Poisonous fumes from the fire were making it difficult to find the missing crew, and to contain any oil that might leak from the stricken tanker.
The tanker is carrying something known as “condensate”, a type of ultra-light oil. The Chinese government has sent three ships to attempt to clean the spill and lessen the accident’s environmental impact.